Lily Potter and the Diamond Necklace
by writergirl318
Summary: Lily Luna Potter has always been the shy girl who never spoke much and usually ended up lost in her own thoughts. Can one boy change her entire life without ruining it? My first fanfic please R&R. T for alcohol and a little cursing in later chapters.
1. King's Cross Station

Lily Luna Potter has always been the shy girl who never spoke much and usually ended up lost in her own thoughts. Can one boy change her entire life without ruining it? My first fanfic please R&R

Chapter 1: King's Cross Station

Lily Luna Potter was an excellent witch. She already knew many spells/ and was going back to Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry to learn even more in her third year. Her brothers, James Sirius and Albus Severus, were sitting with her in the back of their car, teasing her about what torture she would have to go through.

Her mother, Ginny, scolded the older brothers. "If you two don't stop that right now, I'll make your father pull over, and _both_ of you will be very sorry. I wouldn't be surprised if we missed the train."

The boys immediately stopped laughing. Lily started to smile at their horror-struck faces and ducked her head to look out the window, stifling her giggles. When she caught sight of Harry Potter's brilliant green eyes dancing with laughter, she had to renew her efforts.

Harry stepped in once he had controlled himself. "Actually, my third year was amazing. Lily, you should ask Professor Hagrid if he's going to introduce to you some hippogriffs.

Everyone groaned in unison from the back seat of the car. "Dad," Albus complained, "We've heard your stories millions of times! We don't need a rerun every year!"

Ginny smiled, her eyes twinkling like Lily's did when she was happy. "I don't know, Albus. I certainly do like his story of his sixth year. The good parts at least."

James made a disgusted noise. "Mum, seriously, I bet all of my friends don't have to deal with this whenever they go to King's Cross Station!"

Lily piped up a little. "I happen to like dad's stories, too. James, no matter how cool you think you are, dad defeated Voldemort. I'd have to say that he's a little cooler."

They had pulled into the parking lot of the train station, and her oldest brother jumped out of the car muttering, "Shut up, Lily."

It was a little hard sometimes, living in the shadow of someone as amazing as Harry Potter, but they had learned to deal with most of it. The three children lived with the fact that sometimes their best friends only became their friend because their dad was so famous. Lily hated all the kids that would swarm around her; most of the time she preferred to be by herself. Popularity didn't matter to her.

However, Rose Weasly could never find enough of it.

She was an almost exact replica of her father, and a bit more haughty. Lily's cousin followed true to the Weasly traits that were passed down. She had flaming red hair and blue eyes, but certainly not as many freckles as her father. She constantly flaunted that Harry potter was her uncle and waited for the results that had to come. She was in fifth year, like James, but hadn't gotten to be a prefect. Because she was smart, her head had swelled to an enormous size and she thought she was the best in the world.

Her younger brother, Hugo, was in my year and had Aunt Hermione's intellect. He had red hair, too, and chocolate brown eyes that always helped her through her problems. He was a bit more quiet, though not as much as Lily, but he would give anyone a piece of his mind if necessary.

Ron and Hermione Weasly waited with their two children between platforms nine and ten, hovering around a large, regular-looking support made of bricks.

Everyone embraced each other, even the adults, before they all began to make sure that the trunks were securely fastened on the trolleys and the pet owls were safe in their cages. The Potter children and Hugo had broomsticks in their trolleys as well, the boys eager for Quidditch. Hugo saw Lily's broomstick and gasped. "You got the new Lightningbolt? Man, I'm still stuck with the Nimbus 3000! Dad, I could really use one of those!"

Uncle Ron chuckled. "You might want to get your hopes up around Christmas."

Aunt Hermione patted his shoulder. "We'll worry about that later. You had better hurry up, unless you want to miss the train to Hogwarts. Everybody better get through the barrier!"

Then the two families were a flutter, trying to get through the barrier. Rose and James approached the barrier first and leaned against it casually, while chatting about what Professor Longbottom would have in store for their Herbology class this year. Then, to Lily's mild astonishment, they seemed to be consumed by the brick wall and disappeared. No matter how many times she saw it, it was always a little disconcerting to watch them go through the barrier that would lead them to Platform 9 3/4.

Next, Albus and Hugo strode through the barrier nonchalantly as if all muggles walked through bricks every day. Ron and Hermione were about to go through when a man's voice drawled, "Well, look who it is."

Lily and her family turned to see the Malfoy family coolly watching them disappear. Draco Malfoy had been an enemy of the family for a very long time, particularly to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Now that the Dark Lord had been vanquished, they were trying to have a peaceful relationship and avoiding killing each other, but it was difficult. Mrs. Malfoy had a hand on her son's shoulder.

Scorpius Malfoy was a quiet boy with the same white-blonde hair as his father and the grey eyes of his mother. He was in Albus's year and the seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team. Albus said that he usually kept to himself and only spoke in class when he was asked to. Lily had seen him before in the corridors of Hogwarts, but never this close before. Of course, since she had heard so many of her Father's stories of what school had been like when he was there, she had heard plenty of the injustices of Draco Malfoy and his father. She had constantly hear Uncle Ron tell Rose and Hugo that the apple never falls far from the tree, so they should watch out for Scorpius. He didn't seem to mean.

"Malfoy," Uncle Ron acknowledged.

Ginny was more polite, having not been through as many events with Malfoy. "Hello, I see you brought your son. How has your family been, Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco cleared his throat warily. "Um, excellent, Mrs. Potter. I do not see your boys. Have they already gone through?"

Harry answered, "Yes, they just did…"

The short silence stretched and became awkward. Scorpius suddenly spoke up to break the ice, addressing Lily, to her dismay. "I see you have the new Lightningbolt, Lily. Are you going to try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team this year?"

She swallowed nervously. "Umm, I don't know. I rather like just flying around on my broom. I doubt I'd actually be that great at Quidditch."

Scorpius frowned. "I'm sure you'd make an excellent Seeker, like your father."

She blushed and dropped her gaze to the floor. "Perhaps…"

Hermione looked up at the clock hanging just behind the Malfoys. "Oh, Lily! The train is leaving in two minutes! You'd better hurry. Go ahead through; we'll catch up with you!"

Lily's face went white; she didn't usually go through the barrier alone. Scorpius took a step forward. "I'll go with you."

Before she could let the fear that would follow the relief wash through her, Scorpius had grabbed her hand and was leading her through the barrier. The last thing she registered was her mother asking if the Malfoys would come for a Christams dinner this winter. _Thanks, Mum,_ she thought before Platform 9 ¾ folded out before her.

A great red train with steam issuing from it whistled, warning the surrounding witches and wizards to say their goodbyes quickly. "Lily! Lily! Over here! C'mon! You're going to miss the train!" Her brothers were shoving each other to stick their heads out of the window of the train as they waved their arms in big, sweeping movements.

Lily raced off, pushing her cart as fast as her little arms would allow. She found the compartment filled with her brothers and cousins. James helped her store her trunk on the racks above the seats as she leaned out the window, searching for a last sight of her parents. Harry and Ginny stood close to Ron and Hermione and waved to her when they saw her soft red hair spilling out of the window. The train started to take off with three blasts of an ear-shattering whistle.

Lily turned away from the window when the train rounded a corner, making the Potters disappear from sight.


	2. On the Hogwart Express

Disclaimer: I am not genius enough to have come up with such a great story as Harry Potter and its characters, J.K. Rowling is, though, and I'm so glad she is.

By the way, thanks to everyone being supportive to my first fanfic and this will be my continuation. I hope to have a whole story to this and I hope I don't decide that I don't like it and discontinue it (because I'm so disappointed when I never get to know what happens.)

Chapter 2: On the Hogwarts Express

Lily Potter sat down on the seat closest to the glass door separating the compartment from the rest of the train. She turned her head towards the door, since everyone else had gone to look at the window at the scenery that was so gorgeous.

She suddenly saw a boy with white-blonde hair wandering the hallway of the train, looking for a place to sit. Lily shifted uncomfortably, but didn't invite him in. Surely his fourth year Slytherin friends would have a place for him to sit. But when she saw Scorpius wandering through the hall again, she opened the door.

He heard the squeak the door made and looked up from the floor. "Umm, do you need a place to sit? We have space in here." Lily dropped her gaze from his face when she saw him turning a pale pink.

"Uhh," Scorpius peeked past her, glancing at her family laughing and James turning red at some embarrassment. "Will they mind?"

"If they do, they'll just have to deal with it," she stated firmly but then blushed, usually shy. She led him in and let him settle himself down before she turned to the curious stares of her family and murmured, "This is Scorpius Malfoy; he's going to sit with us."

Lily sat down beside him abruptly, her green eyes that were so like her father's staring down at her tiny hands neatly folded in her lap. She felt Scorpius shift uncomfortably at the stares.

Everyone else sat down, leaving a clear view of the green hills racing by out of the window. Most everyone had their hands folded across their chests. James looked the most intimidating with his black, unruly hair flying every which-way, and his green eyes narrowed menacingly. "James Potter," he introduced himself, "Prefect, so don't mess with any of us."

Albus held his hand out, more at ease with Scorpius. As they shook hands he said, "Albus Potter. I believe we've had some classes together over the years." The blonde boy nodded meekly, obviously very shy.

"Rose Weasley," the only other girl in the compartment said. She smiled, using her charms to make the other boy very flustered.

Hugo was polite and introduced himself while shaking Scorpius's hand. He smiled but said, "I'm Lily's cousin and friend. Trust me; I'll know if anything happens to her."

By the time the introductions had finished, Lily was turning a deep red, the blush as red as her hair, and Scorpius was successfully intimidated.

A stony silence filled the room until two boys burst gleefully into the room. Lorcan and Lysander harmonized, "Has Anyone seen a snorklup around here?"

A few shook their heads. Scorpius looked completely lost, but Hugo replied, "Nope, haven't seen any. How's your mum been?"

Lysander said, "Oh, you know Mum. She's still running the _Quibbler_. It's quite the paper these days. Mum says that there might be the possibility that Rita Skeeter will do another biography on Mr. Potter. I bet he'll mention you three again. You know he never stops talking about you three."

Lorcan took over, saying, "Well, if you find a snorklup, you should stun it; it has deadly stingers. Then you should come find us. If we got one of those to Mum, she'd immediately put it in the _Quibbler_. Dad would probably freak out, though."

Lily thought of Professor Longbottom's face when he saw what odd creature his young boys dug up. She giggled. Neville Longbottom and his wife Luna had helped her parents through quite a few sticky situations during the days when Voldemort had still been alive. Luna had often been referred to as 'Loony Lovegood' when she had been at school, and Neville hadn't had very much self-confidence before Luna.

The twin boys fled down the train after shutting the doors. As soon as they left, Rose erupted into laughter. "Snorklup? Those things couldn't possibly exist! They're as loony as their mother!"

Lily stopped snickering, although everyone else started laughing, except for the Slytherin who didn't have the faintest clue what was going on. "The twins are quite nice, actually," she said, extremely quietly. "They can be really funny sometimes."

Rose basically laughed in her face. "You just defend them because you got stuck with their mum's name. Now people can run around saying 'Lily Loony Potter!'"

"Shut up, Rosie," Hugo said, defending Lily who was turning red, partly from anger and partly from embarrassment. "You know Lily isn't like that."

Rosie's bubbling, bitter-sweet laughter still rang in the compartment. "Oh, Lily just happens to find the _oddest_ of friends. It's really not her fault." She snorted.

Then Scorpius spoke up, detracting attention from Lily, much to her appreciation. "Who were they? I'm not familiar with them."

"Those are Professor Longbottom's children," Albus answered.

He took that and played with it a bit before saying, "But you were saying that they were as crazy as their mother. Who is she?"

"Mrs. Luna Longbottom," Lily answered quietly. "She was very… odd in school. Mum said that she always believed in these creatures that didn't exist. Most of them were these things that her father made up to blame for all of the world's problems. He owned the _Quibbler_ back then, too, but now Luna owns it. It's supposed to be more reliable, or so my mum and dad say."

Scorpius nodded and dropped the subject. Lily returned to staring at her hands as the last traces of pink left her face. She let her curtain of soft coppery red hair fall between her and Scorpius. She listened as the boys began discussing who would win the Quidditch Cup this year. Even Scorpius was joining in the conversation. Rosie at one point commented that Hufulpuff just had to win. Her boyfriend was the captain of the team, of course.

James admitted, "I doubt we'll win this year, especially without Victoire as our Seeker."

"Victoire?" Scorpius asked. "You mean the blonde girl that reminded me of a veela?" He blushed, probably feeling very stupid.

Everyone laughed, even Lily. He turned to her with flaming red cheeks. "Am I missing something?"

Lily kept laughing but added nodding. Albus managed between giggles, "Actually Victoire's –what—great-grandmother was apparently a veela."

He was still red. Lily said, "Actually, her mother participated in the Triwizard Tournament with our father—"

"Yes, yes," Rose interrupted, "we all know that your father was some great miracle that appeared to both the muggle world and the wizard world. We don't need you flaunting it in our faces every opportunity you get. "

Lily hung her head, her mouth firmly shut. She didn't say a word until she stepped off the train as dusk was falling over the grand castle of Hogwarts late in the evening.

So? Do you like it? Please review! Next chapter will be up as soon as possible!


	3. Thestrals and Plans

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own the marvelous creation they call Harry Potter. *****sigh***

**Thanks to everyone who has been reading! Please read and review, because I could use the constructive criticism. Remember that this is still some of my first fanfiction and it most likely will not be perfect. **

Chapter 3: Thestrals and Plans

Lily didn't dare say a word. Her brothers and cousins could be so ridiculous sometimes! She felt a rush of disappointment when her brothers laughed at Rosie's antics. She realized that they just thought that she deserved it. Well, maybe she did talk about it too much, but that didn't mean that they had to do it in front of Malfoy. Considering the stories her dad had told about his father, he'd use anything to make fun of her…

And there she went rambling again. She could never stop herself. A blush ran across her face for no apparent reason. The train lurched to a stop, and the chatter picked up to what must have been at least 90 meters per hour about what would go on at Hogwarts this year.

Lily stood up quickly and tried to get off the train as quickly as possible. Of course, the dumb door just happened to stick. She tugged at it, her face growing red. She heard someone, probably Albus, chuckle before a hand unlocked the latch and easily pulled the glass door open.

Lily's face blended into her hair color when she found a pair of grey eyes twinkling above her with a bit of a smirk playing around the edges of his mouth. She almost lost her train of thought when he smiled at her like that, not in a mean way. Lily spun back towards the now open door and rushed out with barely a mumbled "thanks."

When she stepped off of the Hogwarts Express, she inhaled the night air that just seemed to bear the feel of magic with it. Black robes had swarmed around her with bodies that pushed her around, friends trying to stay together. A large mass stuck out from the rest of the milling students, calling "Firs' years, over here! Firs' years, over here!"

"Hagrid!" Lily cried out. She fought through the crow to stand in front of the half-giant. "Hagrid, I haven't spoken to you in ages!"

His huge hand swallowed hers as they shook hands. "Well, It's 'bout time yeh came over fer some tea! Yeh ought to invite them brothers of yers!"

Lily smiled, only hoping that his cakes were a little softer than usual. "Of course, Hagrid! They'd be furious if I didn't!"

"Alright then!" Hagrid smiled. "Yeh had better get goin' if yeh want a carriage." He chuckled.

Lily waved and headed off towards the carriages. When she reached them they seemed a bit ominous. The carriages seemed to be pulled by absolutely nothing, but her father had told her about the animals commonly known as thestrals. They were invisible to people like Lily, who had never seen anyone died, but the rare few who had witnessed such a thing saw that they were apparently hideous beasts that were better left invisible. She believed them to be gentle, misunderstood creatures who could never harm a fly.

She tentatively reached towards the front of the carriage where the thestral surely had to be. When her fingers encountered slimy scales, she struggled not to shudder. Warm breath blew into her face, throwing back her hair, making her freeze at the surprise. Eventually, she began stroking the scales again, waiting for someone to come and share the carriage with her.

"What in the world are you trying to do?"

Lily spun around with shock. She blushed and looked like a child who had gotten in trouble when she registered that the boy in Slytherin robes was Scorpius, of course. It would be just her awful luck to have to ride in the carriage with the very boy she was trying to avoid.

When she saw that he was expecting an explanation, she tried to speak but only stutters of "I-I-I-" came from her mouth. Instead, she shut her gaping mouth and shrugged, hoping that he would accept it.

Scorpius gave her a bit of an odd look but accepted whatever she had conveyed to her. "Well, are you getting in, or will you wait for another carriage?"

Lily's breath caught as the perfect excuse occurred to her; she could just claim that she was waiting for her Gryffindor friends and let him go ahead. But her body betrayed her, making her nod her head and follow him to the door of the carriage. Her face turned as red as he offered her his hand to help her into the carriage.

He sat down on the bench across from hers, and both of them looked every direction that didn't include the other. Every time she thought he wasn't looking, Lily would sneak a glance at him, trying to gauge his emotions. As far as she could tell, Scorpius just had something on his mind.

The minutes ticked by in awkward silence until, "What the hell was that, back there on the train?" Scorpius's face had turned a pink color, and his hair was glinting with a halo in the moonlight.

Her eyes grew wide at his harsh tone, making her cringe into the seat. "W-what are you talking about?"

"You bloody well know what I'm talking about!" Anger was traced over his features that she had thought were soft and kind looking. "You let your cousin walk all over you, and no one back there stood up for you! What about your brothers? They weren't too busy discussing Quidditch to pay attention to you and Rose!"

Lily frowned. "I-I- Rose was right. I-I guess I do talk too much about my father. I deserved what I got. A-and I don't need my brothers to look out for me! I can stand up for myself!"

"Oh really?" Scorpius crossed his arms across his chest. "Then why didn't you stand up to Rose? If you let your family walk all over you, then everyone else will, too."

She looked down at her hands and saw that they were trembling in fright. "N-no, I just didn't f-feel like it," she stumbled over her own tiny lie. "I don't care about what Rose says."

"You certainly acted like you did! I wasn't aware that when you stop talking at all and hang your head in shame that can be considered not caring."

Her face was now redder than her hair by at least two shades. "I-I can do whatever I want, and I don't have to take orders from you, M-Malfoy! So just bugger off!"

"See?" He said with satisfaction. "Why couldn't you do that in front of your cousin? If you fixed up that stammering problem, you might be a tad intimidating."

Lily's hands became clenched into fists with her nails digging into her skin. "I-I- Just shut up, Malfoy! I was trying to be nice, but you just had to go and be a—"

"Language, Potter," Scorpius said as though he really didn't care. He began examining his nails. "See? Why don't you do that to other people?"

"B-b-because they aren't a-anywhere _near_ to how much you infuriate me! Just leave me bloody well alone! Gosh you're an awful person!"

Scorpius smirked and settled back in his seat, ignoring the murderous glares she shot at him. It wasn't long before a large, grandiose castle loomed over them with warm orange lights. She ignored his hand this time when he offered her his hand to help her out of the carriage.

Lily walked into the large corridor where the staris could be seen spiraling above the students, ignoring the annoyance that was following her like a puppy, listening to the squeals of little girls and the familiar cackling of…

"Peeves!" James exclaimed, trying to live up to his prefect duties. "Hasn't anyone told you not to use sillystring on all of the girls?"

Lily rushed in right as Peeves the poltergeist used sillystring on a Ravenclaw first year. She laughed while Peeves whined, "But _you_ gave me this muggle stuff!"

"But the teachers don't know that!" James whispered with exasperation.

She laughed. "Peeves, I actually missed your havoc this summer!"

The poltergeist in vibrantly colored clothes chuckled. "Well, Headmistress Wilkinson wasn't too pleased when she saw how I 'disrespected the institute of learning for young witches and wizards and made the founders turn over in their grave with horror,' she flipped out and tried to get rid of me, but no one can get rid of ol' Peevsies!"

James and Lily laughed at what Headmistress Dawn Wilkinson's face would have looked like when she realized that Peeves had trashed the whole place. "What about the Wee Potty Potters?" He laughed. "I haven't ever gotten in enough grief from them."

Then Peeves turned and sprayed them with blue sillystring. Lily threw her hands in front of her face and let out peals of laughter. "I _was _going to invite you to bug my mum and dad, but now that you've turned on us Potters…"

She and her brother retreated into the Great Hall along with Scorpius who she didn't realize was still there. He left with a mumbled promise to see them later and slipped off to the Slytherin table while the Potters weaved their way over to Albus and sat on either side of him at the Gryffindor table.

"So," Albus started, "what's our big welcome prank this year?"

"Ummm, we're going to have to outdo last year's prank," Lily thought out loud. "So what's better than dumping vats of goo on everyone in the school?"

"Maybe we can ask Uncle Charlie for a dragon!" James declared excitedly.

His siblings gave him a look of, don't-be-so-immature-James. "A dragon?" Lily asked dully. "We aren't first years, James. And besides, why would Uncle Charlie want to give children a highly dangerous magical creature that could easily cook them for supper? Can't you be a bit more realistic?"

Albus nodded his head in agreement. "Don't mind the spitbaling, but I wouldn't mind something logical to work with."

They all sat quietly, their brows furrowed in thought. "I've got it!" Albus proclaimed happily. "Why don't we get some Blast-Ended Skewerts from Hagrid and let them loose in the school?"

"Shhh!" James muttered while Lily said, "But will he let us? He knows that we'd probably use them to cause trouble. He's known the Potters since our grandparents. He knows we're trouble-makers."

"Who said anything about asking, Lil?" James asked mischievously with his brown eyes sparkling. "We have the Marauder's Map _and_ the Invisibility Cloak. We could get off without a single lecture of using them responsibly!"

"We'll get them tonight, then," Albus planned matter-of-factly. "We'll have to be careful because all of the students like to stay up the first night of term."

They nodded in agreement. "But we have the cloak. It'll be easy to get out of there."

"Lily, there you are!" Two third year girls rushed over to the huddled Potters.

Lily stood up and hugged them both. "Lizzy, Kayla, I missed you so much!" Elizabeth Smith and Kayla Fenwick were both Ravenclaw third years and Lily's best friends. They occasionally had their lessons together and took the same schedules.

"What are you doing with your brothers?" Kayla asked with giggles. "Haven't you had enough of them this summer?"

"I don't think I could _ever_ have enough of those two good-looking boys," Lizzy said. Lily rolled her eyes and Kayla giggled at her exasperation.

"I would've thought that you could clear your head and find some cuter boys," Lily said dryly.

Lizzy sighed dramatically. "It's just that they are _so_ amazing. Can't I just date _one_ of them?"

"No. We wouldn't want you to lose your mind, Liz," Lily joked.

But Kayla was scrutinizing Lily carefully. "Hey, isn't there always some prank played at the beginning of school? You wouldn't happen to know anything about it, would you?"

Lily punched her arm lightly. "Aw, you know me Kayla…. Of course I know about it! You're looking at the third generation of trouble-makers!"

The girls giggled between themselves, and the Ravenclaws excused themselves to try the pudding. When Lily sat down with her brothers again, they gave her a queer look.

"Be in the common room at midnight."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Yay! This is my longest chapter yet! It's been a long time since I updated or anything, so I'm glad I finally finished! Thanks to everyone who subscribed and please review! I can never have enough criticism! **


	4. Nightingale's Escapades

**Thanks to everyone who subscribed to my story (my inbox has been flooded with notifications) and thanks to everyone who has reviewed the first three chapters. I want to especially thank KaceyO who has reviewed on all three of my chapters and is fantastic! Also I would like to thank TiannaPotter, hushpuppy22, and clamhappy for their reviews. Please don't to forget to review and thanks for subscribing! Feel free to voice any questions you have!**

**Also, I will soon be having a new story posted about Lily Evans, James Potter, and Severus Snape. Please check out my profile for the new story!**

**I do not own Harry Potter. Rawr!**

Chapter 4: Nightingale's Escapades

"Ouch, Al, you stepped on my foot!"

"It's not _my_ fault!" He whispered angrily to Lily. "You should have moved your foot!"

"Oh, so you're blaming it on me?"

"Both of you shut it!" James hissed, his arm swinging out to hit whichever one of his siblings he could. As a result, Albus got hit in the gut, which made him stubble backwards and hit his head with Lily's.

The younger siblings protested and complained in whispers until James cut them off with, "Do you _want_ us to get in trouble?"

The bickering was discontinued as they shuffled to the garden behind Hagrid's hut. Lily could already see the area set aside for Hagrid to grow his ginormous pumpkins for Halloween and Pine trees for Christmas. Closer towards the house, a chicken coop was protected with barbed wire and crates of different sizes were stacked against the wall, categorized as to what creatures they held. The box on the top began to move on its own as though something in it was moving.

"Over there," Al whispered pointing to the crate that looked as though it was going to fall. James checked the map in his hand with his lit wand before he nodded. He exterminated the light emanating from the tip of his wand and handed the map to Lily.

The boys slipped out from underneath the Invisibility Cloak, and to a witness, it would have appeared as though they came from nowhere into existence. Lily lit the tip of her own wand and watched the dot on the map labeled _Ruebeus Hagrid_ that stayed in place in his hut.

The movement of a different dot caught her eye, and she noticed the dot _Scorpius Malfoy_ headed in the direction of the Gryffindor common room. He even went and must have encountered the Fat Lady, the portrait who made sure that no one without authorization could enter.

Lily came back to her senses when she heard the boys muttering to themselves. Both held two crates with three Blast-Ended Skewerts in each crate. The nasty little things had a number of offensive mechanisms that had most of the students leaving Care of Magical Creatures with singe holes in their robes or their hands beginning to swell from the bites. "What is it?" She hissed.

The boys couldn't see her and stared at the air around her. "How're we supposed to carry these things around under the cloak? There's not enough room!" cried a dismayed Albus.

"James, do you know a disillusionment charm?" she whispered in hushed tones as a tremendous snore echoed faintly from the hut.

"Brilliant idea!" James muttered as he pulled out his wand. "I knew there was a reason we brought you!"

As James set to work on that, Lily noticed another set of crates on the other side of the chicken coop. These were made of a thick wire that you could see the creatures through. She recognized the dull Flobberworms that Hagrid had picked out for the younger students who wouldn't be able to handle the Blast-Ended Skewerts.

On an impulse, she checked behind her and saw that the boys, who were only half invisible, weren't paying any attention to her. She slipped over to the crates and picked up two. Immediately, she wished that she was stronger. The cases of Flobberworms had to have at least seven in each, and they were getting a head start on getting fat and doing nothing.

Once they had successfully made themselves invisible, they slipped back through the door and barely avoided Filch, the caretaker, as he patrolled the corridors. They hurried up the stairs and were almost to the Fat Lady, when Lily noticed on the Marauder's Map that Malfoy was just now moving away from the painting.

She warned her brothers in a whisper just before Malfoy rounded the corner. Of course, while he was walking towards them, she just _had_ to trip on the hem of the Invisibility cloak that was made for much taller people than a thirteen-year-old girl. She stumbled, her feet pounding against the floor loudly, and she just barely managed to keep hold of the crates and keep the cloak covering her, although it might have slipped.

Scorpius Malfoy froze at the sound, probably thinking that it was Filch getting ready to round the corner, or his faithful cat, Mrs. Norris, ready to catch a student out of bed. Lily barely bothered to breath, she was so deathly scared.

After a moment, Malfoy cautiously padded over to where she was hiding, and gazed right at her with questioning, grey eyes. All of a sudden, a tap echoed from down the hall, far away, in the direction he had been heading. His head snapped up, and he muttered something about ghosts before slinking down the hallway. Before he got too far away, he hesitated and turned to the side, and she would've sworn that he winked at her.

Even after he left, her heart was racing and sweat had broken out on her forehead. She gasped a sigh of relief, thankful that nothing too confrontational had happened. A hand came out of nowhere and gripped her arm. "Come on," James growled. "We'd better get back before you trip even more."

So with his hand still gripping the top of her arm, he roughly pulled her back to the common room. Lily took off her cloak in front of the fat Lady and breathlessly said, "Dumbledore!"

"Oh, Lily!" the painting exclaimed softly. "A boy was here –"

"Please let me in!" She begged, not caring at the moment.

The Fat Lady gave an exasperated huff. "Well, fine then. See if I tell you about him later on!" And she swung open, letting the siblings scramble through the hole.

James quickly made him and Albus visible again, revealing the six crates they had gathered between them. Lily stuffed the cloak and the map (with a whispered, "Mischief Managed") in the biggest pocket of her cloak.

"What are those?" Albus asked, the first to notice her crates.

Lily blushed. "I-I found some flobberworms and thought they might make an excellent addition." James grabbed her into a bear hug, squeezing out all the air she had managed to get into my lungs.

"Do you see what a brilliant trouble-maker of a sister she is?" He asked excitedly to Al who had a smug grin at her discomfort.

"You won't have one for long unless you—let go!" She gasped, pushing against James.

The boys laughed quietly at her expense before turning to their plans. "Okay," James muttered. "We'll keep the Skewerts in my room for now; the boys will be less likely to freak if they find out."

"You can't be serious," Lily stated. "You'll burn the dormitory down if you put creatures with the ability to create fire in an enclosed space that's worse than a garbage dump!"

Al chuckled as James aimed a light punch to her arm. "What about the flobberworms?" he asked, returning to mischief.

"Um, I can keep those in my room," Lily volunteered. "If we get caught, those are my idea."

"I'll keep three crates of Skewerts in my room," Albus finished. "We'll dump them in the classrooms right before breakfast is over."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning, the Potters sat together again, their heads leaning towards each other as they discussed something in whispered tones. To anyone who knew anything about the Potters, it was obvious that something that would ruin their day was about to come.

Lily looked over her schedule when Professor Longbottom gave it to her with a knowing smile. "I have Potions with Slughorn first. What do you have?"

"Defense Against the Dark Arts," James stated, trying to configure it into their plans.

"I have Transfiguration," Albus grumbled, clearly disappointed that he would have to start with his worst subject.

"Those are all great classes for us to dump some worms," Lily whispered, "but I think we should each do at least two classes. Umm, I think we should do Muggle Studies, Ancient Runes and Arithmacy."

The boys nodded. "Muggle studies is close to Transfiguration; I'll do that one."

"Ancient Runes is closest to the dungeons, so Lils can do that, and I'll get Arithmacy."

They all nodded. "We should have some extra flobberworms though and maybe a few skewerts, so maybe we can toss them in the bathrooms," Lily planned enthusiastically.

"Brilliant idea!" Albus congratulated.

They all gazed at their watches as the time to leave quickly approached. Suddenly Lily stood up as though she was furious, her face even reddening a bit. "Merlin, James! You're such a toe-rag!" She shouted, as though mad at him, attracting the eyes of a few across the Great Hall, especially Gryffindors.

She strutted out of the Hall with the same gait as when she was mad. Albus almost immediately followed behind her, looking as though he was going to calm her down. When they were away from anyone who would care, Lily pulled out three crates and handed them to him which he promptly walked away with.

James came along next and he also took three boxes before turning away with a subtle nod. Lily checked her charmed bookbag for the three boxes that were hers (they had adjusted the creatures into easily dividable boxes), looking into the deep space that was too large for the bag. Aunt Hermione had given her the idea and helped her with the charmed bag just a little.

She immediately set of for Ancient Runes class, heading up one floor. She glanced around the deserted hallway, careful of any teachers. When she came upon the closed door, she noticed someone with platinum blonde hair leaning against the wall, with his book bag slung over his shoulder.

"Malfoy," she greeted, surprised.

His grey eyes looked up and found her emerald ones. "Potter, you don't have this class."

She huffed. "Is the teacher here yet?" When he shook his head she asked, "Is the door locked?"

"Yeah, and don't bother to try to unlock it. It's guarded against _Alohomora_."

Lily's lips turned down in disappointment. "So you think that I'm not smart enough to get in? That stings, Malfoy."

His brow furrowed in confusion as she knelt down before the doorknob. She pulled out a bobby pin from her hair that made her long, frizzy bangs fall into her face. Her hair had been sleek and smooth the day before because she had charmed her hair to be controllable like Rose did with the hair she had inherited from her mother. However, Lily didn't have the patience for that every morning, so she usually pulled it back into a wavy ponytail. Sometimes the messy, unruly hair she had inherited from her father wasn't always incredibly hot.

She blushed as she pushed the hairclip into the lock and began to fiddle with it. She shouldn't suddenly be worried about her frizzy hair as if it was something to be afraid of. She smiled when she heard the click of the lock being undone.

Scorpius's eyes grew wide as she stood up and opened the door which swung inward to the classroom. "You didn't think I could do it did you?"

He made a move to follow her into the classroom, but she spun around and stopped him from entering. "Unless you're willing to get a year's detention, I suggest that you stay put." And then she slammed the door in his face.

Lily looked around the fairly regular-looking classroom. She pulled her crates out of her bag. Immediately, she dumped a third of the flobberworms out and the scattered to various places under the desk. Then she carefully took one of the crates of Skewerts and placed a few under empty desks, one back with the spare books, a couple around the teachers desk, and charmed one up to the chandelier so that it might fall.

After admiring her work for maybe a second, she stuffed the boxes back into her bag and raced out, locking the door behind her. Malfoy was still standing there, and the stunned look returned. She saw three other Slytherins headed towards the class. Lily turned to her companion and spoke in rushed words. "Listen; please don't tell anyone that anyone came into this classroom. I have to go!"

She raced down the corridor, not bothering to pay attention to Malfoy calling her name. She dove into the next girls' bathroom and threw a few flobberworms before she backed out again. When Lily was sure no one was looking, she dodged into the boys' bathroom as well, giving a temporary home to the creatures.

There were bathrooms in the dungeons as well and she repeated the plan before entering Slughorn's Potions class. To her great relief, no one was there yet, but they would be soon. She dumped the rest of the flobberworms and Skewerts and left the room. She glanced to her left and right, and, seeing that no one was there, she ran in any direction, slowing when she passed people. When the crowds thickened, she found her Ravenclaw friends.

"Lily!" Lizzy called as she and Kayla each grabbed one of her arms and began leading her down to the dungeons and potions class. "What happened with you and James? And why are you so out of breath?"

Lily tried to calm her breath and smiled. "You know me and James. We get into a lot of stupid fights. Anyways, I just had to run to clear my head. Am I late for class?"

Kayla giggled. "No, not yet. What did you fight over this time?"

Lily feigned disgust, "Ugh, he was being such an idiot. He ruined my whole breakfast by pouring syrup _and_ ketchup on my breakfast." She shuddered.

"Eww," the girls moaned.

"You get used to it when you have brothers, but it never ceases to annoy me." The girls laughed to themselves until a girl's scream rang out in the frigid dungeons.

They all exchanged confused glances before they broke into a run towards the potions classroom. One boy in their year, a Gryffindor named Ian Cross, already was covered in tiny scorch marks and had a swollen finger. The girl who had screamed, another Ravenclaw, Kara Patil was hiding in a corner from an approaching Skewert.

Professor Slughorn's reaction had to be the funniest though. He waddled around the room, sweat pouring down his face, as he unsuccessfully attempted to get rid of the creatures. Some students were even standing on the desks, hoping that skewerts didn't climb.

Lily snickered before adding a girly squeak of her own that mingled with Kayla's and Lizzy's. But she didn't linger until she dove into the chaos. She was slow in stunning the Skewerts and left the flobberworms, knowing they would only scare them.

It took nearly half an hour for them to stun all of the creatures, taking a marvelous chunk out of their class time. By the time they had gotten all of them, Slughorn was a horrible shade of violet-red. "Whoever did this is going to get detention for the whole year, even expulsion! I _will not _take this kind of behavior in my class!"

**So will Malfoy rat her out? Please review!**


	5. Caught!

**Here's the next chapter! Thanks to **_**NatalieWeasley**_** and of course**_** KaceyO**_** for reviewing, and thanks to everyone who subscribed! Please remember to review! Also I wrote the first chapter to Lily Evans's Dilemma! **

**Just so you know, this should explain why I wanted Lily's eyes to be green like her dad's (J.K. Rowling said they were Ginny's brown). Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine; otherwise I wouldn't be faced with the fact that Lily's eyes are brown. Enjoy!**

Chapter 5: Caught!

Well of course, Slughorn wasn't a bright enough old man to find out that most likely, it was Lily, seeing as she was the only one in the class snickering. At lunch, Headmistress Wilkinson told everyone that whoever did this was absolutely the most immature student she had ever come across and if they didn't figure out who did it, Hogsmeade privileges would be taken away and no one would get to go.

Lily, like most of the other students in third year and up, loudly protested this. "Well if you want to go then find whoever did this!" Wilkinson shrilly ended the protests and sat back down in her seat as the food magically appeared on the plates and pumpkin juice in the cup.

The students instead turned to their mates and began gossiping. "Well, that's got us into a tad bit of a situation," Albus muttered when the siblings were sure that no one was eavesdropping.

"Talk about it," James murmured. "Now, we can't even tell our best mates. Most of the students would kill rather than get Hogsmeade taken away."

"I really wanted to go to Hogsmeade this year!" Lily complained. "Do you think that if we tell Wilkinson that she'll let us off?"

The boys rolled their eyes as though the motion had been perfectly rehearsed. "You've been around her for three years, Lils," James said, "You know she won't give any pity for admitting it."

"Hey," Albus said, his green eyes upon the staff table. "Where's Hagrid?"

The siblings' eyes darted to the massive seat where their huge friend usually was. As if in answer to his question, Hagrid opened the doors of the Great Hall with a boom and strode between the House tables directly to the three, now frightened Potters.

"And just what do yeh think yeh three be doin'?"

Lily had never seen him look so furious. Her hands started shaking, but James let out a weak, "Eating…?"

Without warning, he gently but firmly pulled Lily off her seat and stood her before him. "Get up yeh two, an' get out here 'fore I have tah drag yeh."

Hagrid marched the three of them halfway to his hut before he stopped and turned on them. "I know it was yeh three that stole mah Skewerts! What've they ever done to yeh? An' mah flobberworm! Did yeh think yeh could get a good laugh out of them an' get off scot-free?"

Lily, like Albus, lowered her gaze to the ground and kicked her trainers against the dirt. But James defied, "Just how do you know it was us? Anyone could've stolen them!"

Haagrid's black eyes turned upon James with ferocity. "I on'y told yeh three 'bout my skewerts! An' this is how yeh treat me?"

Lily's face began to match her hair. She was starting to feel pretty awful about the whole thing. Without permission, she found her mouth moving rapidly. "I'm so sorry, Hagrid! We didn't think that you'd mind so much! And it was my idea to steal the flobberworms! We didn't know you had those until I saw them! I'm so sorry, Hagrid!"

His black eyes observed her until he said, "Oh, alrigh'. I wasn't ever really that mad. I was on'y disappointed. But yeh're still getting' yer well-deserved punishment. I ain't that forgivin'."

"Thanks, Lily," The boys muttered. After a few more lectures from Hagrid (Of course he was going to tell the Headmistress!) they were sent back to finish lunch which was almost finished by this time. Lily could only manage to pick at the food on her plate, wishing her beloved dog was here so she could give him a few tidbits under the table.

She saw Scorpius Malfoy leave the hall, earlier than average and she quickly excused herself. Lily practically ran out of the hall and caught a last sight of him rounding the corner that headed to the stairs leading down to the dungeons.

She raced after him, calling his name. She eventually got his attention and he turned, confusion evident in his eyes."What do you want, Potter?'

Lily took a moment to catch her breath before she demanded, "Did you tell anyone?"

"Tell anyone what?" How was he still so confused?

"About me, going into your classroom. Did you?"

He shook his head slowly, evidently wondering why she was even asking him.

She grabbed his arm as he was about to turn away. "Are you absolutely positive? You swear you didn't tell anyone?"

"Yes, yes," He snapped, impatient now. "Why do you need to know? Don't you trust me?"

She only glared at Malfoy. "Hagrid knows, and I wanted to make sure you didn't tell him. My brothers would kill me for letting you see me."

"So your brothers were in on it, too?" His grey eyes watched her carefully.

"Yes, we're the reason that no one gets to go to Hogsmeade," she snapped, visibly frustrated. "Were you going to tell Wilkinson that? I'm sure you were extraordinarily delighted when you found out that you had the dirt to get me detention for a month _and_ to be the savior of Hogsmeade trips."

Scorpius leaned back on the wall, almost cocky with his motions, as though he owned the world. "Now I know I was teaching you to stand up for yourself and be a strong little girl, but this isn't standing up for yourself. This is a feeble attempt at bullying."

Purely insulted, Lily's face went bright red at the effort of restraining herself so as not to hex him. "It is not! You're just a prat!"

Scorpius shrugged. "Sure, you could say that. Anyways, I'll catch you later. I've got a class to get into and so do you."

And he left the infuriated Lily right there and continued in to Potions class. She turned and punched the stone wall as hard as she could.

Lily flexed her fingers in Charms class, wincing as the pain in her knuckles throbbed. She was fairly certain that in punching the wall, she had broken at least one of her knuckles, but she didn't want to bother going to Madame Pomfrey. But now, a half an hour into class, her knuckles were swollen and a nasty shade of purple.

Miniature Professor Flitwick was in the middle of a lecture about Cheering Charms when someone knocked on the door. The Head Boy, Jeremiah Wood, opened the door and said, "The Headmistress needs to see Lily Potter."

"Miss Potter," Flitwick consented with a nod of his head. She gathered her things, knowing that there would be more than one lecture coming, and exited the room as Flitwick's lesson continued.

"I trust you can find your way to the gargoyle," Wood muttered airily. "Your brothers will be there waiting for you." And with that said, he left down the hall, leaving her to make her own way to Wilkinson's office.

Being a picture was so drab sometimes. Nobody really cared about you, and that was both good and bad. Headmaster Severus Snape never had any more petty little children like Longbottom and Potter to deal with, and it was quite easy to eavesdrop on the new Headmistress's conversations. Although, who would he be able to tell? Almost all of the other paintings in the castle heard everything before he did, and the ones who hadn't didn't really care. Sometimes he would pop over to his other two paintings, one in his old classroom and another in his old, now dilapidated house, but where was the fun in that?

This morning though, was quite hectic for the Headmistress as something disastrous had happened. The oaf Hagrid came in first, claiming that someone had stolen his Skewerts and flobberworms. Of course the Skewerts missing was a dreadful thing, seeing as they were destructive with just about anything.

Next, in came Professor Corsche of Defense Against the dark Arts, complaining that the creatures had ended up in his room, blasting the children! Slughorn, the Potions Master after Snape had finally gotten his beloved job in the Defense class, complained about the same thing. Four other teachers came in, saying that the skewerts had damaged school property.

Wilkinson was flustered about what to do, never having been faced with so many angry teachers. Snape took the time to reminisce about his one year as Headmaster, when the school was in absolute terror of the Dark Lord. He'd never really given Dumbledore, his proceeding Headmaster, any credit. He made it seem almost easy.

Almost immediately after lunch, Hagrid stormed in again. "What is it now?" Wilkinson sighed dejectedly. "_Please_ don't tell me that someone stole your Hippogriffs."

"I know who did it, Ma'am!"

She looked up in surprise. "How did you find out? Who is it, for Merlin's sake?"

"I knew it was them Potter children. They was the on'y ones who knew I had 'em. They even admitted it after I gave 'em a stern talkin' to!"

"Oh, Ruebeus! That's excellent!" She exclaimed as Snape tried to bite back his scorn. Of course it would be some Potter spawn that did something like that. They never had any respect for anyone, Potters, sometimes not even themselves. "I'll get them up here. Please get the Head Boy to come up here. I think he has a free period right now."

So here Severus was, waiting for the blasted Potters, half hopeful that they would have some awful punishment. It would only be what they deserved. Bright, twinkling blue eyes watched him carefully. "What?" Severus hissed to the painting close to him of Albus Dumbledore. He just smiled and shook his head.

Dumbledore was his favorite painting to talk to, seeing as he always listened. He was an excellent source of advice, one Severus used when he was Headmaster. Dumbledore had been one of the greatest wizards in centuries, ranking right up there with Nicolas Flamel and Merlin himself. He was the only wizard that Voldemort had ever feared.

And then it suddenly seemed as though he had fallen into a faulty pensieve.

Harry Potter strode in first, his hair messy like his father and his green eyes extraordinarily bright, but he wasn't wearing his glasses, and where was his lightning bolt scar? Next, a boy looking somewhat like Harry too walked in. His hair was also floppy like the boy who had preceded him and he was in the process of rolling his rich brown eyes, reminding Severus of the very cocky James Potter.

As if to prove him right, a girl's voice shouted, "James, you're such a prat!"

If paintings could have heart attacks, Severus was sure that he would have at the very moment that the girl walked in. Lily Evans Potter stalked into the headmistress's office, her face growing red with anger. Her green eyes were exactly like they should be, as was her red-gold hair that fell in soft waves down her back, and the expression was exactly like the one that she reserved especially for James Potter. She seemed younger than the other two, and much shorter than the boys.

"Lily?" Severus's voice asked, amazed that he'd even had the power; he felt so weak.

She whirled around, her back having been facing him. The redness from her anger faded and paled until she was a pure white. She backed into the boys who each put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "H-how d-do you know m-my name?" She stuttered out in a voice and manner that was not Lily's.

"Y-you're Lily Evans," Severus stated, his own voice trembling a bit.

She shook her head extremely slowly, her eyes resembling that of a frightened deer, never moving her eyes away from the danger as she stood, practically immobile. "No… no, I'm Lily Potter."

It was almost like Severus could hear his heart breaking again. "B-but your maiden name was Evans, correct?" He felt somewhat stupid when he heard his own hope in the words.

"No… I've never b-been married before. I'm only thirteen!" Great, now she was looking at him like he was crazy.

"You'd better leave our sister alone!" Harry Potter said vehemently.

_Our sister_. Severus rolled the words over in his mouth. Both of the boys were her brothers, which meant James wasn't trying to date her. His head started to throb at the confusion. "So…" he shook his head, as though trying to rid himself of the confusion. "What is going on here?"

"I-I'm Lily Evans's granddaughter," Lily Potter said. "And these are my brothers, James and Albus."

Severus's eyes flashed over to Dumbledore whose eyes were twinkling with the knowledge that Harry Potter had named his son after the old Headmaster. "I am Headmaster Severus Snape," he announced to be polite.

The children's reaction was quite something to see. Albus Potter visibly recoiled with something like fright and repulsion while James snickered. Lily turned to glare at James before she elbowed him in the gut like a normal sister would and patted Albus's hand sympathetically.

"What?" Severus asked, wondering if he had missed something. There wasn't a spider on his picture frame was there?

"I-it's just that A-Albus was, um, n-named after you…" Lily stuttered.

It was Severus's turn to flinch as though disgusted by the information. "Why would your father name him after me?" he asked haughtily.

"I have no idea," Albus said, looking dazed.

Lily suddenly asked, "D-did you know our gr-grandmother?"

"I-I, yes, I did know her," he admitted, ashamed of his history, or lack of, with her.

"Wh-what do you know about her?" Severus found his black eyes trapped in the emerald green warmth of hers that was so like Lily Evans's when he wanted him to tell her his secrets.

He was about to tell her, how could he resist those eyes? But Wilkinson walked in with determination on her face and she began to lecture the life out of them.

"Do you understand?" Headmistress Wilkinson demanded. Her face was flushed with all of the energy for screaming and yelling she had exerted on them. Wisps of mousy-brown hair were sticking up out of her bun, creating quite a disheveled look.

"Yes, Professor," Lily muttered with her brothers, her eyes darting once more to the painting that they had talked to. As of now, he was nowhere to be seen; he must have walked off to one of his other paintings that could be anywhere in the world.

"You will report to the gargoyle for the beginning of your detentions tomorrow night at precisely eight. You may leave now."

There was a grateful sigh from everyone, including Wilkinson and the rest of the paintings as she _finally_ stopped throwing a fit. The Potter children filled out of the room, and headed down to the Great Hall, seeing that it was already time for supper.

Lily went to sit with Kayla and Lizzy at the Ravenclaw table and they discussed how horrid it was that Lily had to have six weeks of detentions. She knew that there were eyes trying to burn a hole through her back, but she refused to turn to see who it was.

The girls didn't comment on the swollen hand that she had bandaged up, still not wanting to face someone as sour as Madame Pomfrey. But now it was really starting to hurt, and she thought she might go to the Hospital Wing after dinner.

She had barely gotten out of the Great Hall, when someone gripped her injured hand and tugged her down the corridor viciously. The pain left a haze that she couldn't bear to think through, before a particularly awful tug made her gasp and say, "Please, please s-stop. Y-you're hurt-ting m-me."

To her surprise, her captor did, turning his grey eyes upon her.

"M-Malfoy?" she asked, acutely aware of how close she was to crying. "Wh-what d-do you w-want? C-can't you just b-bugger o-off?"

Scorpius finally let go of her hand and she withdrew it into his robes, hoping that he hadn't noticed as she blinked away the tears. "I-I see that you went back to your meek, stuttering self," he said quietly, his own voice a little shaky.

"Wh-what difference d-does it make? Wh-what do you w-want?"

"I-I, uh, I came to see if you were going to try out for Quidditch next week…" To her surprise, Scorpius seemed nervous, and he tugged on his tie, as though the corridor was uncomfortably hot.

"Why would that matter to you, Malfoy?" she sneered, a microscopic amount of self-confidence returning. "Are you here t-to get dirt on the Gryffindor team?"

"An excellent attempt, yet you're still too little for anyone to take seriously."

She was about to retort, but pain shot up through her arm, making her cry out. Lily had clenched her hands in her fury, and sent pain through her broken knuckles.

"What?" he asked, concern melted his once icy grey eyes. "What's wrong?"

She groaned, retreating away from him until she was backed against a wall. He moved himself so close that there was no easy way to escape. "What's wrong; you can tell me."

Lily swallowed, looking into his soft eyes. "I-I, uh, hurt my, erm, hand. I-it's n-nothing, really."

"Oh, Merlin," he groaned. "I hurt it didn't I? When I was dragging you down the hall. Oh bugger, I'm so sorry, Lily."

"No, no," she said swiftly, unwilling for him to pity her. "I, er, got a little a-angry earlier t-today."

Scorpius gently pulled her hand out from behind her robes and unwound the covering she had used from a kit she got for Christmas one year. The skin around her knuckles was a dark bluish-purple colour had swollen hugely.

"Lily, why didn't you go to Madame Pomphrey?" he demanded angrily as he wrapped his arm around her waist and began leading her in the direction of the Hospital Wing.

She suddenly felt ashamed and gazed down at the floor. "I-I just d-didn't feel like i-it."

He glared at her, his eyes now seeming to burn with a warm fire. "You just wanted to sit around in pain all day?"

"Well, I-I was going to after Charms, b-but then Wilkinson wanted to see u-us…"

"Why didn't you go after that then?"

"B-because i-it was time for supper, a-and I didn't want my brothers to w-worry a-about me," Lily mumbled, thoroughly ashamed of herself.

"And then you sat at the Ravenclaw table so that they wouldn't notice."

"I –" she looked over at him. "Why were you watching where I sit?"

"I, uh, noticed," he muttered gruffly. "Let's just get you to the Hospital Wing before we get in trouble for being out past curfew."

"You were watching me!" Lily accused, a smile playing on her lips. "You're even trying to avoid the question, and you only do that if you're guilty!"

"I'm amazed you haven't punched me yet this term," he muttered more to himself.

"Why were you watching me, Scorpius?" she asked jostling him with her excitement. It would be ever so entertaining if she could just make fun of him for it.

"I, erm, thought that, erm, you looked, um, very pretty today." And then his pale cheeks flushed to such a brilliant red that hers now forming on her face seemed only slightly pink.

"Oh," she whispered, suddenly not wanting to tease him anymore. "Um, thank you, I, um, guess…"

An awkward silence enveloped them and Scorpius stopped abruptly, taking his arm away from her waist in the same motion. "I'm, uh, gonna go before, uh, people start to get the, erm, wrong idea."

"Yeah," Lily whispered softly, feeling quite cold now that he wasn't there. She watched him walk down the corridor and disappear behind the corner before she sighed and went in to see Madame Pomphrey.

**Yay! My longest chapter with over 3,300 words! Anyways, things are going to start picking up now that I'm going back to school in a couple of weeks, and I am going on vacation tomorrow (I should have internet and my computer though). Please remember to review! The button below this loves you!**


	6. Nightmares Or Are They?

**Okay, here's another chapter! I really hope you liked the last chapter! Anyways, please leave a review! I love to read them! (I have ten for this story!)**

**Disclaimer: Scorpius is a figment of J.K. Rowling's imagination, not mine, like all of the characters in this story. *sob* Except for this new one from the very start of the story.**

**Just so you aren't too confused, Lily is having a dream/nightmare.**

Chapter 6: Nightmares… Or Are They?

_"Poor Lily," a voice said behind her. When Lily turned around, her warm green eyes found a charcoal black pair ensnaring her. The woman who had spoken to her had long, raven-black hair, darker than her father's. Her complexion was lighter than snow, reminding Lily of the painting of the sallow-faced man, but she was tall, probably about even with Lily's six-foot father._

_"No one loves you, do they?" The woman's voice was as sweet as honey but just as venomous. Her cherry lips stretched into a seductive smile, revealing perfectly straight teeth._

_"Of course they do!" she exclaimed, hurt that someone would think something like that, even if it was such a vile woman as her. _

_"Oh, yes," the woman said sarcastically, "Rose loves you to pieces; that's why she makes fun of you. And James and Albus, when have they ever protected you, from even the petty things like your cousin? What of your father and mother who are surely disappointed by your actions of today?"_

_Lily stepped away from the woman. "Th-that's n-not true!"_

_"Ah," she sighed. "You're little stuttering problem shows itself. Isn't that boy trying to help you with it? He isn't doing a very good job, but he only wants a good snog."_

_"Scorpius?" Lily found herself asking. "How do you know all of this? Who are you?"_

_The woman laughed, making her flinch. "Who am I? I am Mortellea, one you shall learn to fear, girl. You are the only one whose mind I cannot reach; everyone else will be at my power with only a slight effort."_

_"You are a dream," Lily said, too aware for a normal dream._

_"Am I? I know more than you do, Miss Potter, and I suggest that you don't assume things. But we simply must have a discussion about this boy you fancy."_

_Mortellea waved her hand in the cloud of fog around them, and suddenly a boy with white-blonde hair stepped out of the mist. "Lily," he said, seeming scared and relieved at the same time. Scorpius reached out as though to take her hand and run away from this vile woman._

_"How did you get here?" she asked, her hand reaching out to take his but encountering something like glass. "Scorpius, what is this?"_

_"Lily, you are in danger. You must stay away from this woman! She'll take us all! Please, Lily," The breath sped out of her when he leaned forward as though to kiss her softly but then vanished as suddenly as he had appeared._

_"Oh, young love!" Mortellea cried, reminding Lily of her presence. "I used to be like you, Little Lily. And then he died!" Her sweet voice morphed into a hiss._

_Lily shrank back, terribly afraid of this woman. "L-leave! D-do not s-speak to m-me! G-go away!" _

_Instead, the woman pulled out her wand. The last thing Lily was aware of was someone screaming, "_Avada Kedavra!"_ and a flash of green light, before she screamed, waiting for death and darkness to take her._

XxXoOoXxX

"Lily! Lily! Wake up!" four girls were surrounding her bed and trying to wake her up.

Lily sat up straight in bed, "Mortellea!"

"Who is that?" One girl with brown curls in pigtails asked. "You were screaming the whole time like someone was trying to murder you, lots of gibberish I thought."

"It wasn't gibberish to me," another girl, an avid gossip girl, named Amanda Thomas, said with a pointed look at the other girls.

Lily flushed when she realized that she had probably screamed out to Scorpius when he left. Someone was shouting from down in the common room, a boy by the sounds. "You had best go downstairs," Lavender Smith said cautiously. "You woke up most of Gryffindor Tower, and your brothers are worried sick, furious that they can't come up here."

With a bit of a groan, Lily pulled herself out of the twisted sheets and pulled on her robe and warm, fuzzy slippers before she tiredly stumbled down the stars. James had her in his arms before she was off of the steps. "What happened, Lils? That scared us silly."

"I-it was j-just a n-nightmare," she said trying to stifle a yawn.

"It certainly didn't sound like just anything," Al said, hovering nearby. "You know you can tell us about it, Lils."

She shook her head against James's chest. "S'nothing, j-just s-something my s-sub-whatever made up. I'm tired. Can't I-I go t-to bed?"

"Lily, what was that?"

"I-I just dreamed that Mum and Dad tried to send me thousands of Howlers that kept going off, and I-I w-was g-getting buried beneath all of th-them…"

"Then go back to bed, sis," Al said yawning as well. "We can talk in the morning. We just wanted to make sure there wasn't some sadistic killer in your room. G'night."

James let her go upstairs, not leaving the common room until she had disappeared. Lily stumbled into her bed, now cool without her body heat. She slept like someone had given her the Draught of the Living Dead, feeling as though she hadn't slept during the conversation between her and Mortellea.

The next morning, she brushed her hair out and left the unruly mess alone, lacking the energy to even pull it back. She put on her white shirt with the red and gold tie and a grey sweater vest over top, along with a darker grey pleated skirt.

Lily somehow managed to stumble down into the stairs to the Great Hall where the rest of her family was already diving into the food. She sat down between Al and Rose and across from Hugo.

"You look absolutely horrid!" Hugo said, commenting on the dark circles under her eyes, seemingly stunned that anyone could look so horrid.

She glared at her barely older cousin. "Thanks, thanks a lot. Every girl wants to hear that."

Rose laughed. "Were you dreaming that you saw your reflection in a mirror last night?"

"Shut it, Rose," Al mumbled to Rosie.

She shrugged. "I really don't care. I'm going to go sit with Zach." Then she waltzed over to the Hufflepuff table and sat down by a boy with gold-brown hair, Zach Smith. She looked every bit of a tramp as she walked over, swinging her hips and drawing the attention of many boys in the room.

Some of the Weasley crew shook their heads, and the rest tried to ignore her. Hugo muttered, "Sometimes I really worry about her."

The owl Post flew in, the various colored owls swooping down to their owners to deliver their letters and packages. The Potters and Weasleys recognized an almost pure white owl swooped down to Lily, Albus, and James with three bright red envelopes.

"Hedwig," Lily said, feeding a bit of her sausage to the owl named after their father's first owl, not minding the Howlers. They were too regular for her to get worked up over them.

James and Albus sighed along with Lily. "Let's get this over with," James grumbled as he opened his first.

"_JAMES SIRIUS POTTER!_" Ginny Potter's voice rang through the Great Hall, making conversation unavailable for anyone. "_HOW DARE YOU DO SOMETHING SO IRRESPOSIBLE AS STEALING HAGRID'S CREATURES! YOU HAD HARMED STUDENTS! YOU'RE LUCKY THE HEADMISTRESS DIDN'T TAKE YOUR PREFECT BADGE! AND I AM HORRIFIED THAT YOU DIDN'T FOLLOW YOUR RESPOSIBILITY OF THE ELDEST BROTHER AND KEEP LILY AND ALBUS OUT OF THIS, BUT NO! YOU HAD TO GET YOUR BROTHER AND SISTER DETENTIONS, TOO! I DON'T WANT ONE MORE __TOE__ OUT OF LINE, OR YOU WON'T HAVE TO WAIT FOR WILKINSON TO EXPELL YOU!"_

"Aww, thanks, Mum," James mocked as the letter ripped itself to shreds. "It's always nice to hear from you, too."

Albus snickered before he opened his letter. "_ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER!" (_"glad you remembered my name, Mum,") "_WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT YOU WOULD DO SOMETHING SO—SO JAMES-ISH! I EXPECT THIS KIND OF BEHAVIOR FROM HIM, BUT YOU USUALLY CAN KEEP OUT OF THESE THINGS LIKE THIS!" _("I can't believe Mum thinks you're such an angel, Al!" James grinned. He snickered, "'James-ish behavior.") _"I-I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF I HAVE ENOUGH WORDS TO DESCRIBE HOW INFURIATED I AM!" _("Yes!" Lily cheered. "Less for me!") _"WHEN ALL OF YOU GET HOME FOR CHRISTMAS YOU ARE SO GROUNDED FOR A MONTH! YOU'D BETTER NOT DO ANYTHING LIKE THIS AGAIN!"_

Lily turned to her own Howler, and opened it, amazingly surprised by what her own did. "_LILY LUNA POTTER,"_ Harry Potter's voice echoed through the hall and anyone who had started gossiping about the masterminds behind the Skewert incident went silent, listening intently. "_I CANNOT BEGIN TO EXPRESS HOW DISAPPOINTED I AM! I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE MORE LIKE THE WOMAN YOU'RE NAMED AFTER! YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO GET INVOLVED IN WHATERVE YOUR BROTHERS WERE DOING, BUT YOU DID ANYWAYS! ALL THREE OF YOU DESERVE YOUR SIX WEEKS OF DETETION! PERHAPS YOU'LL LEARN SOMETHING THIS TIME! IF YOU DON'T, YOU CAN BE SURE THAT YOUR MOTHER AND I WILL LEARN! I DON'T EVER WANT TO HEAR OF SOMETHING LIKE THIS AGAIN! YOUR MOTHER ALMOST SCREAMED HERSELF HOARSE! DON'T DO IT AGAIN, LILY!"_

Lily was shaking in her seat by the time it ripped itself apart. Even Albus and James weren't making fun. For five seconds, everything was absolutely silent, and then the whole of the Hogwart's student body began whispering quite loudly. Lily sat there, but when the whispers broke out, she ran out of the Great Hall, forgetting her bookbag, crying.

She couldn't stop the tears that leaked down her cheeks as she blindly ran through the castle. _I cannot begin to express how disappointed I am…_ She heard someone calling for her, so she dodged into the next classroom she could.

She shut the door and locked it before she leaned against the door and slipped to the floor. "Poor Lily," a bittersweet voice said.

Lily gasped and looked up. The room was empty except for a large mirror in the middle of the room, inscribed with words in Latin that she couldn't read. As though trapped in the mirror, Mortellea smiled. Lily started to feel dizzy. "H-how a-are you h-here?"

Mortellea smiled again. "Little Lily's own dad is 'disappointed' in her. For some reason, that doesn't surprise me. You're a disappointment to the whole family aren't you?"

Lily couldn't answer, so she just shook her head. Suddenly she stood up and tried to open the door, only to find that even though it wasn't locked, she couldn't open it. She resorted to banging on the door with her fists and trying to scream.

"You're not courageous, are you?" Mortellea asked as though she had all the time in the world. "How could you have ever ended up in Gryffindor? It isn't a place for little frightened and screaming girls. How do you think your Scorpius would feel if he saw you now? Heartbroken? I doubt he can handle someone who cries when her father so much as slaps her hand."

"W-what d-do you w-want?" Lily asked through her thick tears, almost ready to do anything to get her to leave her alone forever.

"Oh, there are many things I want, Lily." She tapped the glass separating them. "I would like to get through here, but that clever old Headmaster Dumbledore, the one here while your father and mother were here, has prevented the glass breaking from only one way. I'd love to wrap my fingers around your pretty little neck and choke the living daylights out of you, but that won't happen either."

"Wh-why d-do y-you want to k-kill m-me?" Lily stuttered over the words, her back pressed against the door.

"Because, if I don't, you will first," Mortellea answered simply. She examined her perfectly blood red nails.

"Wh-why sh-should I-I kill y-you?"

"I'm bored," she said. She took out her wand, and before she had realized it, Lily had, too.

_"Expeliarmus!"_ Lily shrieked at the same time Mortellea screeched, "_Avada Kedavra!"_

Lily screamed as the curse hit her, just as it had in her dream. She faintly heard her murderer say, "You're so much like your father…"

OoOoXxXxOoOo

"Lily!" a boy said from the darkness, shaking her. "Lily, please! You have to wake up for Merlin's sake!"

She groaned. The boy sighed. "It'll be alright, Lily. You have to get up."

Lily found strong arms picking her up, one supporting her neck and the other behind her knees. She couldn't be alive, could she? Mortellea had killed her. She heard the curse and felt the sting as it hit her. Her eyes fluttered open. Scorpius Malfoy was easily carrying her through corridors.

"I'm dead, aren't I?" Her voice asked when she finally opened her eyes. "And you're taking me to Heaven or something. But, Merlin, my head hurts. Are you gonna heal that? What's your name? I'm not special enough for Gabriel."

He looked down at her with amusement making his handsome grey eyes sparkle and a crooked smile on his face. "You're not dead, Lily. You must've hit your head extremely hard to think that I'm an angel."

She blinked slowly. "But she killed me; I felt the curse hit me. How could I have survived that? Only dad has ever survived the killing curse. Dad," she said sorrow washing through her, trying to drown her, if she wasn't already dead. "He's gonna be so upset. I wonder how he'll feel when he realizes that his last words were telling me how ashamed of me he was. Maybe he'll be happy that I can't be a hindrance to the good Potter name any more. Will you make me an angel now, too?"

"Does this look like Heaven to you, Lily?" Scorpius Angel asked, cynically.

Lily looked at her surroundings, and recognized the corridor to the Hospital Wing in Hogwarts. "Yes. Do angels break their wings sometimes? Does it hurt? When will you make my head stop hurting?"

Scorpius Angel shook his head and rolled his eyes, not deigning to answer. He walked into the bright Hospital Wing and yelled, "Madame Pomphrey! I found Lily Potter! She hit her head!"

He gently laid her on a soft white bed. Lily smiled at the comfort, and saw Madame Pomphrey rush over to her. "Hello," she muttered to the old woman dreamily, "Are you an angel, too? Where are your wings? Will I be an angel soon?"

"What is she jabbering about?" Madame Pomphrey Angel asked Scorpius Angel.

"She's convinced that she died," he explained, "and that she's in that Muggle place called Heaven. I told you she hit her head fairly hard. I think there's a gash."

Madame Pomphrey Angel prodded her head gently. She found a spot in Lily's head that made her cry out. "Angels aren't supposed to hurt people! Ouch!"

"Go get her brothers and the Headmistress."

Lily patiently let Madame Pomphrey Angel heal her gash on the back of her head and use her wand to examine her as she jabbered about angels and Heaven. It wasn't long before her brothers ran in along with Wilkinson and Scorpius Angel. They ran to either side of her bed and held her tiny little hands. "My brothers are in Heaven, too!" she joyful exclaimed. "Are Mum and Dad here, too? I would like to forgive Dad; he probably feels awful."

She began to move to get out of the bed, but almost everyone moved to force her down. "What on Earth are you talking about, Lils? Where have you been? Al and I were worried sick when the others told us that they hadn't seen you since this morning."

"We're not on earth anymore, James. We're in Heaven. I died! And then I'm gonna be an angel! Won't that be great?"

Everyone looked at her like she had gone insane, and she noticed the Weasley clan filing in, asking about her frantically. Madame Pomphrey Angel held up her hands and everyone fell silent. "Lily has hit her head very hard, and I fixed it, but I can't figure out why she keeps talking this rubbish."

"Are you all here to see me become an angel?" Lily asked excitedly. "Where are Mum and Dad? I bet they'll be so proud!"

Everyone glanced around at each other. "Well?" she asked Scorpius angel. "Am I going to get my wings or not?"

Scorpius Angel shifted uncomfortably when everyone's eyes darted to him. He cleared his throat and knelt down beside her bed next to Albus who was still holding her hand. "Um, Lils, you never died. You're not in Heaven; you're still at Hogwarts. You must have slipped and hit your head, Lily. No one tried to kill you."

"Yes, she did!" Lily exclaimed. "Mortellea was in the mirror and killed me!"

"Oh, not her again!" Rose complained.

"Rosie we don't have time for you to tease her," James snapped.

"I'm not kidding!" she exclaimed, stung a bit by his words. "She lied to you last night! She was screaming about Mortellea and, uh, someone else," she explained, her eyes darting to Scorpius Angel. "She was probably having nightmares while she was unconscious."

"I saw her! In the mirror! It wasn't a dream! I know it wasn't!"

Scorpius looked up to her, pale and blushing at the same time, something Lily hadn't thought possible. "Lily, that was- that was the Mirror of Erised. It's supposed to show you whatever you want most in the world. You couldn't have _wanted_ to die." He gave her a queer look. "Did you?"

"No, no! Of course I didn't want to die, but that's what I saw!" She was so lost, and didn't understand anything.

"Lily," Scorpius looked up seriously, "are you dead?"

Lily had to think for a moment. "I guess I'm not… but I know she hit me with a killing curse."

James patted her shoulder. "Maybe this lady did, Lils, but obviously you didn't die. It's going to be fine."

Everyone in the room sighed in relief when she agreed, all except for Professor Wilkinson. "Don't think that you'll get off with just a warning to skip detention and class, Miss Potter."

"You can't do that!" most of the Weasley/Potter clan protested. "She was passed out!" James protested. "You don't get children in trouble for being sick in the Hospital Wing, do you? Lily couldn't get to class if she had wanted! She wasn't conscious!"

"I don't care," Lily said, her voice now faint with weariness. "Give me as much detention as you wish. I will do it all. I just—I just— I feel sick."

Everyone took a step back, except for Scorpius and Madame Pomphrey brought her a sick bin and a potion that would soothe her stomach. She gulped down the potion and smiled weakly. It struck everyone at that moment that she was too frail and sick for a thick-skinned girl like her.

Lily's emerald eyes seemed too big than usual and her skin was lighter than white and almost luminescent. She denied food when Madame Pomphrey tried to give her something good to eat, claiming that the smell was too much for her.

_This isn't my Lily,_ a certain blonde-haired boy thought.

**The button loves you! Please click it to review! Anyways, I'd love to hear your theories on the story so far! **


	7. A Broken Snitch

**I hope you liked the last chapter! I know it might've been a bit confusing, but it should make sense later on in the story. (I'm not exactly sure about what chapter; I'm not very good at planning stuff out. I just go with the flow.) Please keep reviewing 'cause I love to read them!**

Chapter 7: A Broken Snitch

Lily was released from the Hospital Wing two days later, with firm commands from Madame Pomphrey to eat properly, get plenty of rest, and visit her in a week or so. She seemed fine, of but a little rattled by the mirror she had seen, and Mortellea. In more than a week, most of the effects had left from that day.

She didn't have any more nightmares or hallucinations, as she had deigned her second vision of Mortellea to be, but she didn't eat as much as usual (which was practically as much as Hugo who could scarf food down like there was no tomorrow) and she just picked at her food most of the time, finding that she just wasn't hungry.

Lily spent her classes studiously taking notes like a good little nerd instead of goofing off in class with her friends. She didn't try to help when James and Albus planted dungbombs in Filch's office once the effects of the Howlers wore off on them, even hers. She honestly didn't care; it just wasn't funny like before.

She spent her spare time in the week practicing Quidditch, feeling that she would be alright if she just dove a little faster, or caught the snitch a little sooner. The wind that roughly pulled her hair out of her ponytail made her feel somewhat like herself.

Her dad and mum, and especially Teddy wrote to her and she replied back, not telling them too much about Mortellea. Only that she had had nightmares that there was a woman trying to kill her and that she had cracked her head when she had a hallucination from not having much sleep the night before.

Five days after the incident, Rose walked past Lily with Dominique, one of their Veela cousins, and said loudly, "Well, I think we know who the Emo kid is in our family." And then she left Lily to gaze after her with nothing, absolutely nothing but emptiness in her emerald eyes as she and Dominique laughed to themselves, quite loudly.

Lily had a separate detention from the boys, whose jobs it was to clean every inch of the castle that they could (Peeves really wasn't helping) while she organized the books in the Defense Against the dark Arts section of the library. She didn't mind that so much, seeing as it was her favorite subject usually, but it was just so tedious that it made her head pound.

The boys were discussing Quidditch tryouts at breakfast one morning when she came down after having managed to wrestle her hair into a neat braid and tromp down the stairs. "When are tryouts again?" she asked only paying half attention to what she was asking.

"Tomorrow," Albus answered, examining the Daily Prophet.

"Tomorrow?" she asked, surprised that it was all of a sudden so soon. "Are you sure?"

"Lilsies," James addressed between a mouthful of food, using her nickname from when she was a toddler and she called herself that, "The captain is one of my best friends. I think I'd know when tryouts are."

"But it's going to rain tomorrow," she stated. "How are we supposed to have tryouts in a storm?"

Albus peeked out from behind his newspaper, his green eyes watching hers. "Lily are you reading the _Quibbler_ or something? The Prophet says that there is only a ten percent chance of rain tomorrow."

"There's still a chance," she huffed, slightly put off, and she picked up her bag and left the Great Hall, leaving her plate completely untouched, without even any food put on it. When she reached the corridor, she bumped into someone coming around the corner. "Whoa!" an unfamiliar voice exclaimed and caught her carefully.

Lily looked up and found Brown eyes staring down at her beneath light brown hair that flopped into his face. "Are you alright there?"

"Yeah," she mumbled, dropping her gaze to the floor and stepping away from him. "I'm sorry about that. I didn't see you."

The boy laughed. He had to be in at least James's year and a Gryffindor. He was tall and muscled and had a scar at the corner of his forehead, mostly hidden by his blonde hair. "I didn't see you either. I'm Jordan McLaggen by the way."

He stuck out his hand diplomatically and she shook it politely, still not meeting his gaze."I-I-I'm L-Lily P-Potter," she stuttered quietly. "I-it's nice t-to meet y-you."

"Lily _Potter_?" he asked, stunned. She internally groaned, knowing that what would be coming next would be some tirade about how marvelous her father was for defeating Voldemort and such. "Your dad used to play Quidditch here. He was the youngest Seeker in a century!"

Lily blushed and smiled. "Y-yeah. My mum was good, t-too. D-do you p-play Quidditch, too?"

"Yep," he announced proudly. "I'm one of the chasers with your brother James. I'm also the Quidditch captain! Are you trying out for the team this year? It sounds like you have some excellent Seeker blood in you."

He smiled, and action that showed perfect white teeth. _He's actually a bit handsome,_ Lily thought shyly. "I-I might. I-I've never r-really played on a t-team with anyone o-other than m-my family…"

Jordan laughed. "From what James tells me, you have at least enough for about three teams, right? And Victoire was the Seeker last year." He winked slyly with a charming smile on his face. "I think that you'll almost certainly have a spot on the team with all that Qudditch blood running haywire in your veins."

She couldn't help it; she smiled and gave a girly giggle while blushing, probably managing to look like the most head over heels female in the whole school. Jordan laughed before he winked at her again. "Catch ya later, Little Lily!"

"Oh my goodness, Lily," Lizzy said, coming up behind her and scaring her half to death. "Who was that sixth year? He was so hot!"

Kayla was right behind her. "I know who that is. He's a guy on the Gryffindor Quidditch team! I saw him last year! Isn't he a Chaser?"

Lily gave her a knowing look. "Okay, either you're extremely observant or someone was a spy on our team last year." She glared suspiciously from one girl to the other.

"Hey, when you only get to see the Potter boys at mealtimes, you know something has to change," Lizzy defended stubbornly. "We only did it to see your brothers!"

"Oh, so you both did this? I thought you were the innocent, smart one, Kayla! What happened? When did you even turn to the dark side?" She half joked.

Kayla held her hands up like she was being checked for explosives. "Hey, the dark side has cookies _and_ James Potter. What more could a girl want?"

"I'm trying to get her to run for treasurer for the Potter fan club," Lizzy stage whispered. As a result, Kayla whacked her arm, making a satisfying crack through the air.

When she complained, Lily cut her off with, "You deserved that one."

XxXoOoXxX

Lily woke up the next morning to a flash of lightning and the largest boom of thunder she had ever heard. She dressed quickly and raced downstairs to find that most of the Gryffindors trying out for Quidditch had come to the common room, ready to listen to McLaggen.

After he had quieted the complaining people, he loudly announced, "Alright, tryouts are obviously postponed until tomorrow because of the storm. I already checked with McGonagall and she scheduled us for tryouts tomorrow. So I want everyone down at the field at 8:00A.M. sharp!"

When everyone resumed their chatting, Albus came over and said, "So will it rain tomorrow, too, O Great Goddess of the Weather?"

"No, it won't. I suggest you practice."

"How is someone supposed to practice in that weather without getting blown away?" he demanded incredulously, already angry at her for being right.

"The question is, what do you require?" she said before walking away knowing that his eyes were widening with understanding at her reference to an important room that few knew of in the castle.

The next day was sunny and bright, just as Lily had predicted. She loved the feel of her familiar Quidditch clothes rubbing against her skin, reminding her of the many summers that she spent playing the sport with her cousins and brothers, even, occasionally, her dad. Her Lightningbolt was almost soft feeling, the white wood curved gracefully just for a Seeker.

She noticed her Ravenclaw friends sitting in the stands, ready to cheer her on. Along with them was just about every other Gryffindor that wasn't trying out, even, Lily noted with surprise, Rose, although when she looked again, she found her snogging Zack. A few Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaw were scattered across the stands, and even some green robes stood out, probably spies.

Jordan looked over all of those trying out with a clipboard in hand. "Alright, we'll be trying each person out one by one and then we'll have a sort of mini game to see how everyone cooperates with each other. We'll start out with chasers."

A majority of the students stood up from their gathering in the stands and lined up, waiting for their turn to prove their worth. They were trying out for three positions as chasers. Jordan and James were starters and there was one position with them and the other two were reserve. Jordan played as Keeper briefly while James and the person trying out tossed the quaffle to each other and he let the kid trying out throw it in.

Most of them were pretty good, but not excellent. A few dropped the quaffle where Albus and the other Beater, his best friend, Amos Blocc waited and caught the dropped quaffles. Two were extraordinarily good. One was a seventh year named Thomas Norton and the other was a fifth year named Sean Everdeen.

Lily was fairly certain that they would get two of the positions, and they were almost done with the tryouts for Chasers when she noticed someone that sat down beside her on the bench.

"What have I missed?" Scorpius Malfoy asked as he plopped himself down beside her.

She raised an auburn eyebrow. "You're not supposed to be down here. You're going to get McLaggen to yell at me for having people down here who aren't trying out, and then my brothers will start questioning why I was talking to you in the first place. They're very overprotective, see."

"Ah," he sighed, as if he knew exactly what would happen. "But I'm only here to ask what's going on and then I'll leave."

Lily couldn't help but smile at his flimsy excuse that, as true as it may be, would never hold up against James. "Fine, then," she said complacently. "So, Slytherin spy, McLaggen is testing out our potential Chasers. So far the best are Thomas Norton and Sean Everdeen, but this second year is looking pretty good out there."

He smiled and leaned back, obviously relaxing though Lily had told him what he needed to know. "I'm not a spy!" he mocked lightly, with feigned and mild displeasure. "I'm just a curious Hogwarts student who enjoys watching Quidditch."

Lily snorted. "Sure, and you're also the Seeker of the rival team. That's no reason for anyone to be suspicious."

"You're right; it's not," he said jokingly.

After a few more people trying out, Jordan called anyone who was trying out for the Keeper positions, two, one for regular and the other for reserve. Not as many got up this time, but it left only three people on the stands before the chasers joined them. Three people were trying out for Seeker, including Lily.

The Keeper tryouts didn't take as long, seeing as there were fewer students. Lily could almost see the sweat dripping off of some of them. James and Jordan threw the quaffle towards them, aiming for one of the three huge rings.

As time ticked closer to when Lily would have to find the miniature snitch, she began to get more and more nervous and butterflies trembled in her stomach. She fidgeted, wringing her hands in her lap.

Malfoy noticed and gave a crooked sort of smirk. "Getting a little nervous, are we?"

"Sh-shove off, Malfoy."

He laughed at her feeble attempt at annoyance. "I believe that I am quite right. It's a good thing _I_ don't have to try out."

She couldn't help it; she smacked his arm in annoyance. "You're just trying to make me more nervous, aren't you? You do realize that I'm doing this because of you, right?"

Lily blushed a furious red, having said something that she didn't mean to. Malfoy's eyes widened with shock and surprise. "I-I-I, erm, actually, no, I didn't…. Why are you doing this because of me exactly?"

Lily blushed a deeper red, almost darker than her hair. "Erm, because, on the f-first d-day of t-term, remember, you, erm, t-told m-me that you th-thought I would b-be very g-good at it…"

"Oh," he said awkwardly, "right."

Lily focused so hard on the Gryffindors trying out to block him from her mind that her head pulsed slightly with the beginnings of a headache. After what seemed like ages, they finished with the Keepers. She sighed when Jordan announced that it was time for the Seekers.

Jordan looked at his clipboard carefully, checking through a few of his papers. "Okay, since there are three of you trying out, I'll have Wood and Longbottom try first and then Potter…" he looked through some more papers before he smirked, "Ms. Potter will go against Mr. Potter." James smirked, too.

Of course, the knowledge that she'd have to wait longer than before made the butterflies come back. At least she knew everyone of James's tricks. He was a fairly good Seeker, but a better Chaser. She observed carefully as Andrea Wood and Lorcan Longbottom whizzed through the air. The rest of the team was playing fairly regular and Albus and Amos hit the bludgers to the Seekers a little more than usual, but it was a test of their strength. She could almost see poor Lorcan sweating.

After twenty minutes, Lorcan caught the snitch. Lily had actually been a bit doubtful, seeing as none of his family had played Quidditch before, but he got it, and the Gryffindors cheered for him like it was an actual game.

"Ms. Potter, I do believe that it's your turn." She felt the blood drain from her face and her stomach dropped like lead. Obviously reassuring her, Jordan winked slyly and smirked. She attempted a weak smile and stood up with her broom in her hand. Something gripped her other wrist suddenly.

Lily whirled to see Scorpius looking at her with his melted grey eyes although they were burning with something that she couldn't decipher. "Good luck, Lily. You'll do great."

When he let go, she turned away with a dull blush. She faced her brother as Jordan told her and he glared at her suspiciously. "What did Malfoy say to you?"

The siblings shook hands. "He wished me luck. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Malfoy shouldn't be saying anything to you, so yes, there is." They mounted their brooms shooting venomous glares at each other.

Then the whistle blew from McLaggen and they shot into the air like bullets. Before James could do anything, Lily shot away like a bullet, knowing that he would chase her. The familiarity caused her to relax, and her mind fell into this place where only finding the snitch mattered. She circled the field like a hawk, watching carefully for the bludgers that were hit her way. Most of the time, they were even too slow to keep up with her.

Lily looked back and saw her brother watching her and the field carefully. She smirked before she dove as fast as she could. James saw her and dived after her, thinking that she had seen the snitch. He fell for it every time. It was a perfectly executed Wronski Feint, and she pulled up half a second before she would have crashed with the grassy and muddy turf beneath her. She was so low, that mud sprayed her before she pulled higher into the air. As for James, he barely made it, seeing that it was a trap a moment before she pulled up. He glared at her and yelled, "What was that for?"

"For being my brother!" she mocked, feeling almost lighter than air now that she was flying, the exhilaration making her almost high. But she remembered to keep her eyes and ears open. Before she knew it, she had seen the snitch.

She dove for it as quickly as she could, and James pulled after her, knowing that she wouldn't be stupid enough to pull the same trick twice in such a short span of time. Soon, he was gaining on her, and she forced her broom to put on another burst of speed, flattening herself against the long shaft of the broom. She reached her arm out, merely inches away from the golden snitch.

Someone cried out, calling her name loudly. Lily looked out of the corner of her eyes and wanted to scream. Both of the bludgers were aimed towards her and James at the same time. James pulled back, shouting at Lily to do the same.

She was too stubborn to do the same and she spun around to avoid the first bludger, and sighed with the relief that the snitch was still in sight. The second bludger caught her off guard and came before she could deflect it, connecting with her wrist. She cried out when she felt the snap of her wrist and the excruciating pain.

She barely noticed the screams and the collective gasps running through the stands. She reached her good hand out to catch the snitch, ignoring the tears that threatened to blur her vision. She barely had time to notice the first bludger that had reversed itself, flying towads whatever object that was closest, which, of course, simply _had_ to be her.

She tried to pull away from it, intensely aware of how close she was to the Ravenclaw stands where only one or two people watched with excitement. Somehow, she couldn't quite recall if it was the bludger, or if she ran into the stands, or if she somehow managed to hit herself with the end of her broomstick (it had happened before), all she knew was pain in her face and blood flowed from her nose, that she knew was probably crooked. She muttered a curse that only sounded like, "Bluby 'ell!"

Lily could only focus of two things: the red color staining her good Quidditch clothes and the glittering gold object floating close to her in her fuzzy vision. She reached out again, barely hanging on to her Lightningbolt with only her legs.

She raced after the snitch and found James beside her. He looked more like he was interested in her rather than the snitch. "Sis, you don't have to keep this up. Let me take you to the Hospital Wing. You've done enough already."

She glared at him. "Nobe."

"Merlin's bloody underpants, Lils!" he exclaimed. "Your nose is practically on the other side of your face!"

"I dob't cawre." She sped ahead and concentrated solely on the snitch. She reached out her hand and formed a cage around the golden ball that let the wings flutter helplessly. She raised her hand in triumph, proud of her accomplishment. She finally tuned back into the world around her and smiled brightly until she tasted the blood. James followed her closely to the ground where Jordan and Malfoy stood, waiting for her.

"I dib it!" she declared happily, not even caring that the pain was pulsing stronger as she waited.

"C'mon," Malfoy said, handing her a green and silver handkerchief to mop up the blood. "We'd better get you to the Hospital Wing before your nose sets on one side of your face like that."

Jordan nodded and put his arm around her waist, trying to support her across the grounds as though her leg were broken. "Id's nod dab bab!" Lily protested in disbelief, gingerly wiping at the crimson blood, trying to avoid her nose that was pulsing it seemed.

By the time they reached the Entrance Hall, she was crying because the pain broke through the walls at the back of her mind. "Pleabe geb ib to stob hurbing! Pleabe!"

Madame Pomphrey fluttered around, trying to avoid all of the Gryffindor House collected for her. "Are you planning to take up a permanent residence in my wing?" she asked huffily, setting down an assortment of potions on the bedside table, next to where Lily lay, trying to stop the blood and her tears.

"Nobe!" she wailed, "I dob't wike ib here! I'b alwayb hurb when I'b here!"

Madame Pomphrey leaned her head close to Lily, looking carefully over her nose. She looked towards James and Albus who were huddled together and Scorpius who was nearby. "You three hold her down. I'm going to have to manually reset her nose. It's so awful that my wand will only make it worse."

Albus walked around her bed and held down her left arm while James went to the end of the bed and held down her legs, seeing as he was strongest. Scorpius firmly held her arm against her body refusing to even let it twitch. Her brothers watched Madame Pomphrey prepare to reset her nose, so Lily looked to him for support.

Scorpius brushed away a loose wave of hair that curled more than usual. "It's going to be okay, Lily. You can definitely make it through this if you can catch a snitch with a broken wrist _and_ nose."

She smiled but didn't say anything. He noticed her trembling and tried to return a reassuring smile as Madame Pomphrey approached and leaned over her with white gloved hands.

Pomphrey didn't give any warning as to when she would do it, she just did. As she moved Lily's nose roughly back into place, Lily screamed. It wasn't one of those weak and wimpy screams where the voice cracked. It was one that chilled Scorpius's blood and clawed at his ears. She thrashed against them wildly with a strength no one knew she possessed. Tears leaked from her eyes as though she were a faucet. She somehow managed to keep air in her lungs to not break the scream for breath. It seemed to take longer than it should, and she screamed the whole time.

Eventually, Madame Pomphrey leaned back and took off her now crimson gloves. Lily was panting hard and still crying as fresh, bright red blood flowed from her nose. Pomphrey took out her wand and muttered a spell that fixed her nose, where it wasn't as obvious. She also healed her wrist and gave her three potions to drink.

"Merlin," Lily grumbled, "Couldn't you have given me a sedative or something?" She spoke as though she had allergies and a stuffed up nose.

Pomphrey looked at her dryly. "Would that have really helped?"

Lily pondered it for a moment. "No."

"There you have it then." She turned and seemed to notice the entire Gryffindor house standing in her wing and even some from other houses. "What are you all doing here? Unless you're family or friend I want all of you out!" The old woman's crinkled face began to turn pinkish red.

Only about half of the children left. "I told you! Unless you're—"

"We are family and friends," Rose interrupted. "It's not our fault that we make up half of Gryffindor."

Pomphrey sighed. "I forgot she was related to the Weasleys, although how I forgot to assume that practically anyone clad in red and gold is family, I have no idea." And then she retreated to her office, slamming the door shut behind her.

Hugo ran over beside Scorpius and began chatting excitedly. "That was the best flying I've seen in ages! I can't believe that you still got the snitch! That was great!"

She blushed at the rarely received praise and looked at her hands. With a gasp she realized that she was still clutching the snitch, almost crushing it when she was in pain. One wing was crumpled and fluttered weakly. Everyone talked excitedly about what she had done, her dozens of cousins squeezing around her bed. Only three people were quiet, Scorpius who was shrunk in the corner with his hands in his pockets, obviously not used to so many people, and James and Jordan who exchanged solemn looks.

Lily noticed and interrupted almost everyone. "What's wrong?"

She looked at them clearly and calmly as though she knew there was going to be bad news and she was fine about it. James and Jordan shared another uneasy look and Jordan stepped forward.

He cleared his throat. "Um, well, I really don't know how to tell you this, Lily. Erm, I'm not certain yet, but, erm, I don't think you're gonna get the Seeker position."

Everyone gasped, including Rosie, who honestly didn't care. Protests were suddenly shouted through the still air.

"Oi!" James shouted when it got out of hand, "Shut it!"

When silence was thick in the air again, Jordan spoke again. "I'm not _certain_, there's still a chance, but I doubt it. It's just that—Lorcan got the snitch more quickly, and he didn't end up with a bloody nose."

"She only got injured because Amos and I hit the bludgers towards her at the same time! And if she hadn't got hurt, she would have caught the snitch sooner. That's not gonna happen in a real game!"

Agreements murmured through the room until James spoke up again. "Alright! Just shut up! Jordan said that he wasn't certain! She still has a chance and that's that! Just leave it be! Merlin!"

Tears flowed down her cheeks and one somehow managed to speed down her new crooked nose and drip off the end. "Fine. It's Fine," she said in a strong voice that still shook. "D-do wh-whatever y-you think w-will make Gr-Gryffindor w-win. That- that's wh-what it's a-all a-about, r-r-right? I-I'm just n-not that g-good. It's all my bloody fault." She dropped her head into her hands and quietly sobbed.

All her cousins rushed to comfort her. She barely noticed that Rose had stood up from crouching beside her bed until she heard Rosie yelling. "What the hell? You two are such idiots! It doesn't matter who got the snitch quicker! She persisted! Merlin, boys are such prats! Especially you two! I can't believe you! Lily was the best player out there, not to mention she had the best attitude! Merlin! If you two are so thick that you can't see that, you're going to bloody well lose!"

Lily sniffed and smiled. Rosie had the trademark Weasley temper, not to mention that it was mixed with aunt Hermione's, making the situation ten times worse. And even though she did spend most of her time acting like a tramp and making fun of Lily, she could stick up for her littlest cousin when she wanted to.

Jordan and James had their hands up as Rosie pointed her wand at them. "We were going to leave anyways," Jordan angrily muttered. "We're going to get dinner before we get hexed and sent here to deal with you lot even more." And they stalked out in anger.

"Thanks, Rosie," Lily said as she sat down in a chair next to her. "But please don't hex them. I would like Gryffindor to win, even if I can't be on the team. And I'd prefer to have my brother in one piece so that I can tear him apart."

It wasn't long before most of the Weasley clan dissipated, muttering excuses about being hungry. Albus was one of the last to leave and before he left he said, "Lily, it's all my fault. If I had just watched more closely, I wouldn't have hit the bludger towards you and you wouldn't have gotten hurt. Then we'd be all happy about you being the new seeker, and not stuck in here. I'm so sorry, Lily!"

His head was in his hands as he sat on the chair that Rosie had recently vacated. Lily patted his head softly. "Bubby, it's alright. And Jordan said that he wasn't certain. There's still a chance, Bubby. Besides, I know how to deal with that now. I love you, Bubby, and I don't mind if I don't get to be Seeker. I can always try out next year."

She gave him a tight hug and he buried his face in her shoulder, squeezing her as though she was going to die tomorrow. She didn't mind and realized that he had probably been scared when he saw his little sister get beat up by bludgers. It would have scared her, too. She and Albus had always been closer than her and James, probably because there was less of an age difference. She was always teased for calling him Bubby, but she still did at times like these.

He sighed and let go of her. "I'm about to starve, Lilsies. I'm not going to go to the Great Hall; I bet Hugo ate all of the food at the Gryffindor table. I'll be in the kitchens if anyone comes looking for me."

She smiled knowing that he was close to the truth. "You're spoiled,' she joked, "tell Winky I said hello."

He left with a wave, leaving her alone to ponder her predicament. She toyed with the broken snitch in her hand that feebly twittered. When it flew, it was a bit lopsided, the side with the intact wing rising higher than the other.

Lily sighed. She didn't understand why Jordan had told her that she couldn't be on the team. She wasn't one to boast and brag, but it was true that she was better than Lorcan when it came to Quidditch. She had played with him millions of times when they played with the whole family, but she always beat him.

She lightly traced the length of her nose, the skin being sensitive still. She memorized the curve that would forever make her nose look crooked, like she had gotten in a fight. What was she supposed to say when people asked her what happened? She could see it now.

_A little boy with her flaming red hair tugged on her dress. "Mummy, why does your nose look funny?"_

_"Oh, no reason, sweetheart. I was trying out for Quidditch, and a bludger hit me in the face. I didn't make the team, so basically I got this for nothing. This is more of my injury to be ashamed of, not one of those proud battle scars the rest of my family has. Just take a look at your granddad. He has a scar shaped like a lightning bolt, making him one of the most famous wizards that ever lived."_

"What are you thinking about?"

Lily let out a bit of a strangled squeal. She spun her head to see Scorpius Malfoy in the corner, where she had last noticed him earlier in the afternoon. Her heart raced because he had startled her. "Have you been here the whole time?"

"Yes," he answered, sitting in the chair that seemed to have everyone in it at one point. "You'd be amazed how little a person is noticed when he doesn't want to be."

"Why- why d-didn't y-you wasn't t-to be n-noticed?"

He shrugged. "I guess I figured that you wanted to be with your family. You never did tell me what you were thinking."

She blushed. "I-I w-was imagining telling my ch-children h-how I-I, erm, got a, erm, f-funny-looking n-nose."

Scorpius laughed loudly, a sound like bells. "So your nose is crooked, it's not the end of the world. It'll at least attract some attention."

She laughed shakily. "Th-that's exactly wh-what I n-need. E-everyone st-staring at my nose!"

Madame Pomphrey finally walked out of her office, carrying a tray of steaming soup and a sandwich. She gave it to Lily before turning to glare at Scorpius. "Shouldn't you be at supper? You're going to miss all of the food, and I'm not giving you any!"

She sniffed and left, not waiting for his excuse. Lily giggled. "You're going to get yourself in trouble, mister, if you don't leave!"

"Do I have to?" he sighed as though the whole ordeal was a chore. Scorpius stood up, stretched and then looked down at her again. "You going to be alright, Lil?"

She blushed. "Wh-what d-do you mean?"

Lily avoided the warm grey eyes that she could feel trying to burn her. "About the whole… seeker thing…. Lily, you were great. If you were in Slytherin, you would have been Seeker before I could look up."

"But y-you're s-seeker," she mumbled faintly, watching the broken snitch.

"Exactly," he said finalizing it. When she didn't look up at him, he hooked his finger under her chin and pulled it up so that she had to look at her grey eyes that almost reminded her of a storm. "You're the greatest Seeker I've ever met. And McLaggen is stupid for not seeing that."

Scorpius turned and walked out of the Hospital wing, leaving her blushing and staring at the broken snitch.

OoOxXxOoO

Lily laid in her bed that night, thinking over everything that had gone so wrong at the Quidditch field. How could she have been so thick as to not see when she had lost the position?

"Lily?" a voice whispered in the darkness.

She started and pulled her wand off of the bedside table. "What the bloody hell are you doing here, James?" she asked into the empty space.

James pulled off the Invisibility Cloak, revealing not only him, but also Albus and McLaggen. "What the hell, James?" she hissed, gesturing at McLaggen. "Why did you show that to _him_?"

"Lily," James whispered calmly, "There's something we want to tell you."

**=D So what do you think the boys have to say? This chapter was supposed to be way longer than this; I only got about halfway through what I had planned. It ended up being way longer than any other chapters (5,971!) so I hope you like these kind! Please remember to review and tell me what you think about the story so far!**


	8. Practice Makes Perfect

**Yay! I was soo happy when I found out that I had two pages for reviews! Okay, so like I said before, this was supposed to be one chapter with the last one, but I ended up having to split it in two because the last chapter was practically twice as long as usual! So here is the new chapter, and the name for the next chapter was originally the name for the whole humongous chapter I had planned. Please remember to review!**

Chapter 8: Practice Makes Perfect

"I don't care what you three have to say to me, James; I've already told you that. Just go away and let me sleep."

"But, Lily, this is important!" Albus said, his expression a complete turnaround from the afternoon. "Just wait till you hear what Jordan says!"

"I need to sleep." She said stubbornly, refusing to hear anything else from the prat that shattered her heart. Well, maybe it wasn't that dramatic. She could recover from this awful blow, but it still sting like someone had poured salt on her wound.

"Just hear me out, Lily, and I promise you won't regret it."

The sincerity in his eyes made her grumble to herself a bit, but she grudgingly conceded. "Just get on with it already. And be quiet. Madame Pomphrey will strangle me if she finds you three here."

"Lily, you'll be so happy when he tells you," Albus said, bouncing in his seat.

While James socked him in the arm, Jordan said, "Lily, I've decided who the new Seeker is. Actually I've known all along."

I glared at him. "Couldn't you have waited until breakfast tomorrow to tell me that it's Lorcan? You just couldn't wait to rub it in, could you?"

"No, no!" Jordan denied quickly. "It's not Lorcan. I only said that this afternoon to throw everyone off."

"What are you talking about, McLaggen?" her temper began to rise with impatience. "Stop talking rubbish and just tell me who the seeker is already!"

"It's you, Lily." She blinked.

Then she went livid. "Stop playing pranks on me you idiots! Get out of my face and stop feeding me loads of rubbish! Leave me alone!"

Jordan backed away as her face grew red and James protested, "Lily, we're not kidding! We're going to use you to trick the other houses!"

She looked at Albus grimly, knowing that he was the one that would speak sense to her. "Explain."

"Well, you see," he started, "We said that because your Ravenclaw friends were here along with that Malfoy. That way, they think that they can see that the less experienced one is the Seeker, and they'll let their guard down. I'm going to take a camera to the first match. I just have to document the look on their faces when they see you. Anyways, Lorcan said tonight that he'd practice with us to make it look like he's on the team."

"What am I supposed to do? Mope until I walk onto the Quidditch field?" She still looked rather dubious.

"No, that's the thing," James cut in, his brown eyes completely serious. "You'll keep doing what you were before, practicing by yourself whenever you have the time. Then, if anyone asks why you're still practicing you can explain that it's for next year."

"Is Lorcan very upset?" she asked quietly.

James laughed and Jordan punched him on the arm to make him shut up. As he rubbed his arm, wincing in pain, he said, "Not at all. You should've seen the devil grin on his face. He's excited that he gets to practice with us and learn techniques and get to pull something on the rest of the school."

"I'll do it," she said with determination evident. She began thinking of how she would pull it off to her friends. "Do the rest of the Weasleys know?" she asked hesitantly.

"No," Albus answered, "Definitely not. We have too many gossips in our family. Besides, Rose'll try to tell her boyfriend, and then it'll get all over the school."

Lily nodded thoughtfully. Rose really would do something like that, not understanding the importance of such an act. She was still talking to the boys when a light clicked on from Madame Pomphrey's room. The boys darted under the cloak, disappearing right as the cranky old woman stepped out of the room.

"What's going on here? I distinctly heard make voices!" Her beady eyes glared suspicious at the lone girl.

Lily got out of her bed and tried to lead Madame Pomphrey to her room with reassurance. "I think you were just dreaming. There's been no one in this room all night. Maybe you heard me tossing around in bed; I wasn't sleeping very well. I'm sure that once you go back to bed you'll realize that there was never anyone here."

Her eyes still darted around suspiciously. "Do you need a sleeping potion? I can whip one up in a jiffy!" She pulled away, towards her potions set.

"Oh no, Madame Pomphrey," she assured her quickly, "I'll be to sleep quicker than you can make that potion; I'm awfully tired." To accentuate her words, she yawned widely.

When she had finally ushered the old woman to bed, she relaxed onto hers, and pulled out her broken snitch again. She tried to ignore the thought that a particular two someone might be evident in her dreams if she fell asleep.

OoOxXxOoO

"Merlin, Lily," Kayla exclaimed as Lily fluttered down beside them. "You look like you didn't sleep at all last night. What were you doing?"

Lizzy, who usually had a comical comment, was on the other side of Lily, her face mirroring the concern of Kayla's. She nodded in agreement.

Lily sighed, the tiredness clear in her tone as well. She pulled some sausage onto her plate, along with a microscopic amount of scrambled eggs. "I didn't sleep last night. I couldn't."

"Why not?" Kayla asked, smearing strawberry jam on her toast.

"I just… had a lot to… think about…"

Lizzy snorted. "Let me guess, you felt awful about not getting on the team." When Lily slowly nodded, she continued, "You can't let that ruin your life. It's just a game. You haven't played Quidditch before, what makes now so different from before?"

"My dad and mum," Lily said almost inaudibly. "I told them I was going to try out. In my family, you either play Quidditch or you don't. And you most certainly do not get rejected on the team. My whole family's going to be so disappointed…"

"That's an awful reason to be disappointed in someone!" Kayla chastised. "I mean, it's not your fault the captain was a sexist prat. Did you notice that? All of the people on the team are guys, and you, the one girl who outshone everyone, were rejected."

"I didn't notice that," Lily said, her eyebrows furrowing as she thought, making little indentations on the skin between her eyes as she thought. She shoved a bite of sausage into her mouth. Her friends watched her with great concern. It got very annoying, and classes hadn't even started yet.

"I've got to ask my brothers about something." She said as an excuse. She left her mostly uneaten meal and moved in between her brothers who protested loudly when she interrupted their conversation of which Holyhead Harpies player was hotter.

"Oh, shut up," she said, more than slightly annoyed. "You'll live because they'd never fall for you two prats anyways. I want to know if I can tell Mum and Dad about… about you-know-what." She had dropped her voice lower, being sure that Lysander Longbottom and Kathleen Dereville were completely engrossed in a conversation with Lorcan.

"Oh," Albus said, looking to James, not knowing the answer himself. Two sets of green eyes fell upon him as they usually did when looking for a rare mature moment from James.

He filled in his role as big brother and thought for a moment. "I guess not, Lilsies. I mean, they might want to mention it to the Weasleys and that would spell disaster when Uncle Ron writes, _why didn't my amazing children tell me about this?_"

He had raised his voice to something that sounded more like an impression of a girl rather than their uncle writing to his children. Despite her disappointment, Lily couldn't help but giggle a bit at his antics. "But I'll have to lie to them…" she said, obviously upset.

Albus snorted and James snickered. "Are you serious?" Al asked with a bright smile. "Do you realize how many times James and I have lied to get ourselves safely away from Mum's whacking spoon? If we didn't lie, we'd never have made it to Hogwarts. Besides it's not lying about something that will get you in trouble. You just want to pull a surprise on the Slytherins."

"Oh all right," she consented uneasily. She absolutely _never_ lied to Harry Potter, just because he always told her the truth about anything, even if he didn't want to, and he expected that respect in return. "I had told them that I was going to try out, and you know they'll write a whole letter about how proud they are of me making the team, blah, blah, blah."

"That's why you don't tell them, Silly Lily," James said with a full mouth of toast. He swallowed. "I learned that a looong time ago when I sent them telling them about the prank I was going to play on the teachers the next week."

"James, you're just a really dumb idiot." Albus explained slowly, like James was a child that had a mental impairment.

That gained him a whack on the head with half eaten toast. He tried to shield himself from James's attack, and Lily hopped out from in between them trying to avoid the crumbs that would land in her hair. "Aww," she cooed with a bright smile, "Little Jamie is playing with his food."

Of course she said James's old nickname loud enough for the people at the table to hear and only Katleen who blushed and smiled smugly avoided laughing loudly. James went bright red and tried to tackle Lily. She just barely held her ground, still smirking.

They were about to tussle right there in the middle of the Great Hall like they did in private sometimes when someone hoisted Lily away from James by the collar. She looked up into Professor Longbottom's grim brown eyes.

"This is what, the hundredth time I've told at least two of you Potters not to fight in front of the whole school?" His eyes held faint amusement and his lips were quirked upward. The good family friend was never too angry with them but he could put his foot down when he was angry.

Lily grinned up at him sheepishly. "That would be the hundredth and seventy second time, sir."

He rolled his eyes. "Seeing as you've already stuck yourselves in detention for at least another month and you won't learn anything from it anyways, I won't give you detention."

"Thank you, Professor. We won't do it again."

He snorted. "Don't make promises that you can't keep." He leaned closer to Lily and said, "Congratulations on being our new secret Seeker." He smiled at her flabbergasted expression and walked back towards the teachers table.

XxXoOoXxX

Even though she was deadbeat tired and really needed to sleep, Lily grabbed her Lightning bolt and went to the Quidditch field to practice when she knew no one was there. She was just warming up, going through a few loops and trying out some tight turns, when a voice yelled, "Oi! What're you doing up there?"

Behind her by around two hundred feet away, Scorpius had brought his broom and had caught up to her quickly. "Wh-what do you m-mean?" Lily asked with feigned innocence that she used on teachers whenever she was asked about a prank. It worked every time.

"I mean, that why are you on the pitch if you aren't seeker and need to practice?" He asked.

"Oh that," she said and looked down towards the ground that was a thousand feet below her. She blushed to a dull pink and said, "O-oh, I-I want t-to stay in sh-shape i-if I want to b-be on th-the team n-next year." Why was she always stuttering around him? It was embarrassing to be uncomfortable around him. Her cheeks became red.

"You're going to try out next year?"

She merely nodded, afraid of her stuttering voice. When she had to use it she said, "W-well I-I figured that, erm, Mc-McLaggen i-is going to b-be gone next y-year, a-and maybe th-the new c-captain w-will see th-that I'm b-better th-than l-last year."

He smiled a grin that stretched crookedly across only half of his face. "But why not wait until the end of next term? You're already better than anyone—well," he corrected himself with a grin, "anyone except for me."

Lily delicately snorted. "As if you could beat me. I'm probably better than any Slytherin. My brothers always say that anyone can be better than a Slytherin, even me." She smiled, showing that she was only joking.

He made a mock glare, his lips turned up at the corners. "Oh really? And would you like to test that theory?" When she smiled and nodded, he lifted his hand and showed her the snitch he had brought up with him captured in his fingers.

When he released the snitch, it buzzed around almost imperceptibly and disappeared instantly. They both flew a circle once around the whole field, battling each other for speed. At some time of the race, she noticed that Scorpius also had a Lightningbolt and was matching her for speed. They raced in various directions, warily watching each other as they scoured the area for the tiny snitch.

Scorpius suddenly dived, probably having seen a flash of gold. Lily was right there next to him, pushing her broom to go faster than she had ever dared before. She flattened herself to her broom, struggling to remain seated.

He was about to crash headfirst into the ground when she realized that he had tricked her into thinking the snitch was down there when he was trying to get her to fall off her broom. He pulled up at the last second, but she kept diving, falling further than him.

Scorpius called out her name frantically just as she should have shattered onto the earth. Instead, she leveled out with her feet held up so that they wouldn't catch on the grass and spend her spiraling out of control.

She smiled up at the disbelieving boy hovering a foot or so above her. "Were you worried, Malfoy?"

He slowly nodded. Their eyes both widened when a flash of bright gold flew between them, flying back towards the Hufflepuff stands. They only hesitated long enough to share a stunned look before they whirled through the air at top speed.

Lily cursed rather loudly when her hair band broke, sending her auburn hair whipping around wildly. She glared venomously when she heard her opponent yell, "Language, Potter!"

They were neck and neck, both struggling for the upper hand. The glinting snitch darted up further into the air in a zigzag motion that made Lily feel vaguely sick. Scorpius had his gloved hand outstretched, his fingertips almost brushing against the snitch before it changed course again and fluttered towards the ground.

When they had managed to begin to dive, Lily found herself closest to the snitch, but Scorpius close enough to grab the end of her broomstick. She stretched out her hand as far as she could reach. It still wasn't enough. The snitch was less than an inch too far from her hand.

She edged herself forward on her broom, extremely carefully, knowing that she could tip her broom out of control if she unbalanced it much more. Already, the front of her broom was steeply stretched towards the ground. Lily's arm began to shake with the strain of trying to reach the tiny ball.

Scorpius finally gained on her, reaching her hand out too. She mentally cursed; of course he would have longer arms than her. Just before his hand closed around the snitch, she shoved him, throwing the weight of her and her broom in his direction. It knocked him off course and sent him flying to the side.

He glared at her and crashed back into her. They struggled precariously in the air like that for a few seconds. The snitch leveled out less than a centimeter above the grass, and it even brushed the green wisps. They both pulled up sharply to avoid crashing into the ground.

Lily inadvertently hissed as she tried to come up with a way to get down that close to the ground to reach it. She was barely hanging onto her broom as she leaned over extending her arm down past her broom. Scorpius suddenly knocked her and she went spiraling. She barely had enough time to take control before she crashed into the dirt.

When she looked to the snitch, he was astonishingly close. It was gradually moving up from the ground, flying up high again. She darted for it, rushing as quickly as she dared. She was almost completely vertical as she chased like a madwoman for such an inconsequential thing as that tiny golden toy. Scorpius ended up behind her again.

Lily put on another spurt of speed, deciding that this had to end _now_. She completely threw caution to the wind and went at a breakneck speed that made her eyes water. This time, when her arm stretched beyond its limits, her fingers closed around the fluttering wings of the snitch.

She held it up triumphantly and showed it to Malfoy with a smirk and laugh. He cursed, "How do you do that? I thought for sure I would win."

She laughed euphorically. "I'm a natural. And like I said, anyone is better than a Slytherin."

He laughed with her as they landed, and he took the snitch from her and put it away. When he returned from the dressings rooms, she was sitting in the stands closest to him. She had pulled her broken snitch out of her pocket and was gently toying with it.

"Why do you have that?"

When Scorpius spoke, her head jerked upwards, having been startled out of her thoughts. Her security blanket that she'd had in her familiar comfort of the air disappeared, and her stuttering returned when she noticed his soft grey eyes. "Er… well, I-I s-sort of th-think of i-it as my g-good l-luck ch-charm…" She swallowed nervously. "W-weired, a-aren't I?" She attempted a smile.

He smiled good-naturedly. "No, not weird…" He looked sideways at her. "Actually… I have a good luck charm of my own."

"Wh-what is it?" she asked curiously.

He shrugged and sat down next to her, his eyes on her broken snitch. He had half a smile splayed across his features. "Well… I'm not sure I want to tell you." He cut off her indignant and feeble protests by raising his hand and said, "But… I-erm- w-was thinking that, uh, if y-you wanted—well, er—I th-thought that m-maybe—"

"Get on with it already," she said shortly. Her insides were fluttering because Scorpius was so rarely ever nervous. It made her own patience very thin and she spit the words out, eager for words that weren't rubbish.

"?" He blurted out the words so fast that they were just a collage of sounds and letters.

"Excuse me?" she asked hesitantly.

Scorpius took a deep breath, and Lily noticed that it was shaky. "I was… wondering if you… wanted to come to my Quidditch tryouts… and cheer me on….?"

She smiled at his red face with pink coloring her alabaster cheeks. "That would be fun, lots of fun. I'd love to." She was amazed that her words were s steady when her head was screaming, _why the hell is he asking me this? Does he like me or something? DO I FANCY HIM?_

He returned her smile, obviously relieved. "I'll be in the Great Hall at 6:45. We—we could walk d-down to tryouts together. If you want, I mean."

Her grin couldn't have been any brighter. "That'd be marvelous. I look for you this Saturday, right?"

He smiled and nodded. She returned the snitch to her pocket and stood up, with Scorpius following her. "I'm so tired. I've got to get some sleep. Not to mention all the transfiguration homework I have to work on. I'll expect you here tomorrow, too. For a rematch? Maybe you'll end up winning."

With a sly wink, she waltzed away leaving him to shower. She practically ran through the halls, ready to sing that she could beat Scorpius Malfoy easily. And she was going to watch him at Slytherin Quidditch tryouts next Saturday.

**I HAVE OVER 700 HITS! I'M SOO HAPPY! Anyways, I thought I'd give you this chapter (It still wasn't as long as the original chapter) because I really needed an update. Don't forget to review and subscribe and just so you know, high school started on Thursday so I might not be able to update as often as usual… which still wasn't that great. Anyways, enjoy the chapter. If you click the button and review, you get a cookie! Just kidding. You don't get a cookie but I'll lurve yoo 4eva!**


	9. Seeker's Good Luck Charm

**Okay so just to let you know, I've decided that I'm going to try to do updates on Sundays starting next week since I didn't have internet connection, but it could be for any of my stories, not just this one. Hopefully, this will make things a little more regular but thanks to everyone who has read (I had about 1200 hits last month) and Please Review! This is the third part of the super long chapter I had originally planned and this is finally the title I wanted to name the whole big chapter.**

**And, by the way, HAPPY LABOR DAY EXTRA-LONG WEEKEND!**

Chapter 9: Seeker's Good Luck Charm

"This is awful!" Jordan complained on Friday right as Lily plopped down at the Gryffindor table for dinner. Her hair was in disarray and curly wisps were stuck to her face. She was panting and threw her Quidditch bag onto the ground beside her.

"What's wrong?" She asked, pulling some delicious-looking pie towards her.

He looked around conspicuously; making sure no one could overhear him. "Well, I need a spy for tomorrow, you know, for the Slytherin Quidditch tryouts. I need to know who's on the team."

"Oh," she said simply, "I'll do it."

The pie was on her fork and traveling towards her when it was suddenly whipped away by James, and he smirked as he ate the pie off of her fork. "Hey!"

His smirk became more prominent. "You shouldn't be eating pie, deary. You need to stay fit for you-know-what."

"You do, too, you twat!" she half-shrieked. She stood up and hit him with whatever her hand had reached for first, which happened to be a breadstick. "You're such a prat, James!"

"Hey, hey," Albus intervened, much to her disappointment. "I'm sure you don't want to see your brother's obituary in the _Prophet_ tomorrow. I can see it now. 'Death of boy by Breadstick.'"

Lily grumbled to herself about pie murderers deserving vicious deaths by breadsticks until Albus calmly turned to her and said, "But back to the subject, I don't think you should go, Lily."

"I'm going anyways," Lily said as she ate her pie, all her anger fading away at the sweet taste of apple pie.

"What do you mean you're going anyways?" James asked, his brotherly overprotection going into overdrive. He was worse than Dad sometimes.

"I mean that I had already planned to go. Scorpius Malfoy invited me on Monday. It isn't a crime that I want to go, is it?" Already her pie was half way gone. She began to wonder what kind she should choose next. The lemon meringue looked very tempting…

"What?" All three boys stood up immediately. "Why are you going with a Slytherin?" Albus asked frantically.

"More importantly," James almost yelled in his fury, "why are you going with a _Malfoy_?"

"Because he asked me, and I can go if I want to!" she defied, abandoning her pie with a little pang of hunger. "What I do is none of your business, so you might as well get over it!"

"But you're fraternizing with the enemy!" McLaggen said angrily.

"He's not an _enemy_," she spat angrily. "He's my _friend_."

"You are so not going," James decided, crossing his arms over his chest. That action, obviously meaning to show her that he was serious, would have sent any student below fifth year running in terror, but she laughed openly.

"You can't tell me what to do!" she yelled at him. Many heads were swiveling their way, and she could feel the pair of grey eyes trying to burn through her. "I'm thirteen!"

"I'm fifteen!" James yelled back with even more power. "I'm the oldest here, and what I say, goes!"

She laughed. "I didn't know that while we were at school that you could try to be my _dad_," she screamed with cutting venom dripping from every word.

"Well, Dad's not here, and I think I can tell when it's time for him to step in! You'd better believe that he'll be storming Hogwarts by tomorrow!"

"You're such a prat, James! You think that you can do whatever you want, but you're wrong! I can be friends with anyone I want to be, and you can't stop me from going tomorrow!"

"I'll lock you in a broom cupboard if I have to!" He yelled. Everyone was watching the fight now with the lust for gossip making their eyes glaze over. Even the teachers were watching with a little more than mild interest. Oh, yes, the Potters could put on quite the show. "_You are not going!_"

Lily would have already left by now if the boys hadn't blocked her from the great doors. It was easiest to storm out and let herself cool down so that things didn't get out of hand, but this time, they would. She took a deep breath.

Albus started talking then, too, rather loudly. "He's right, Lily! You can't be as thick as to think that Dad would be okay with this! Trust me; I know what fourteen-year-old boys are thinking!"

"Oh, Merlin!" She exclaimed a blush rising to her cheeks. "Yeah, but it's not like that! Oh, Merlin, Al! I didn't need those images!"

"No, absolutely not," James was yelling again. It was easier to fight with James, seeing as he didn't bring up embarrassing topics like Al (And in front of the Great Hall, too?) "Lily, you're too young to be around those sorts of people. You are not going!"

"Yes I am!" she screamed before she punched James in the face. What else was she supposed to do? She couldn't leave until the idiots that were graced by her presence had moved! Besides, it's not like she had hit him that hard.

In fact, he only had a cut lip when he recovered. He was about to kick her like she was about to punch the living daylights out of him, but Professor Longbottom stood up and shouted across the Great Hall, "Enough! Miss Potter, see me in my office!"

She muttered a curse under her breath as she picked up her things. As she left the Great Hall, Lily yelled to the watching James, "Besides, who died and made you king of anything?"

She strutted down the corridor behind Professor Longbottom, trying to think up obscene things to call her brother when she got back to the common room. He was so dead. She was led into Neville Longbottom's office which was ever so familiar. The chairs were comfortable and a nice blue-ish color. Many Herbology books crowded the shelves along with Defense Against the Dark Arts, many she recognized from the library. Behind his chair was a perfect view of the Herbology Greenhouses.

Neville obstructed her view out of the window as he sat down with a heavy sigh. "Why are you always fighting with one or the other of your brothers?"

She half pouted. "It's not my fault, especially this time. James started it."

He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes with another sigh. "Lily, do you realize how immature that is? You're thirteen; can't you at least save the fighting for the common room? Many students don't like to have their meals interrupted everyday by the infamous Potters. What was it about this time?"

Lily shifted in her seat uneasily and blushed. When she didn't answer right away, Neville opened his eyes inquisitively. "Lily, you know you can tell me anything. I'm a friend, not just your teacher."

She blushed even more. Without warning, the words came out in a rush. "Scorpius Malfoy invited me to watch his Quidditch tryouts tomorrow."

She cringed when his jaw went taut. "And?"

"And I've been playing Quidditch with him all week and we're really like friends now. But James and Albus and even Jordan McLaggen don't like it because I'm making friends with an enemy, a Slytherin, _and_ a Malfoy. But I don't think of him with all those stupid names because we're friends, and when we're playing Quidditch, he's just Scorpius, and I'm just Lily." She sucked in a deep breath after she had said all of those things in less than three seconds.

Neville was silent for a long time, and the silence made Lily uncomfortable as she fidgeted and chewed a few nails. Finally he leaned back in his chair with another sigh. "I wouldn't advise this friendship, Lily, and I don't think your father would either. We both know exactly how his father acted in school. But as you said, he is not Draco and you are not Harry. He is Scorpius and you are Lily. Just be careful because it would be awful for you to get hurt. I do think, though, that you should write to your parents about this. Tell them to write me as soon as they can, and if I don't get a letter concerning this matter in two weeks, I will tell them myself. Understood?"

She nodded with relief and shame mixed together. "Yes, Professor. Do I get detention?"

He looked at his clock. "Not tonight, Lily. Although I suggest you hurry on or you will be late for tonight."

She groaned a little. "Shoot, I didn't have time to get a shower. Merlin, I must smell." She grabbed her things and practically raced out of the room. "Thank you, Professor!"

OoOxXxOoO

Stella McLaugh was woken by a mass of approximately one hundred and three pounds jumping onto her with a, "Stella! Stella! Please wake up! It's an emergency! I need your help!"

She groaned and moved under the covers. "Is Hogwarts burning down?"

Lily chuckled a little. "No, Stella, but I really need your help! I don't know what to wear!"

The words made Stella sit up straight in her bed, almost hitting her head against Lily's. "Are we going to Hogsmeade today?"

"No, I'm going to the Slythering tryouts!"

The girl's excitement quickly dulled. "Oh. Just wear something very Gryffindor-ish and show it off. I would suggest painting your bum red and yellow and mooning them."

"Ewwwww!" Lily shrieked rather loudly and jumped away from the bed. "Merlin's dirty underpants! I don't want to do that! Merlin, I want to look nice!"

Stella looked at her strangely while her brown curls fell slightly from her pigtails. "Lily… are you trying… to impress a Slytherin?"

"M-Merlin, no!" Lily exclaimed. Maybe she should have woken up Lavender instead. "I-I just d-didn't want to g-give them some sort of a reason to m-make fun of me. T-that's all."

Stella sighed as she swung her feet over the sides of her bed. "Lily, you're stuttering. You only do that when you're nervous."

Indeed, Lily was frightened out of her skin, but she didn't want to impress any Slytherin boy… Did she? No! Of course not! Her dad would kill her if she went out with a Slytherin. And for clarification, this was absolutely not a date. Scorpius had only asked her because they were friends. Right? Right.

Stella sighed. "Well? What do you have to wear?"

Lily sighed and the girls set to work. They dug through every article of clothing Lily possessed. In the end, they had picked out a lovely green T-shirt with golden sparkles that was almost the exact shade of her eyes and a jean skirt with rugged edges.

Lily moved to the mirror and groaned. "What do I do? I look like a complete mess."

Stella observed her features for a moment before pulling out her wand. "You don't look that bad, and it's easily fixed."She charmed Lily's unruly hair into beautiful waves and gave her make-up. The eye-shadow was a gold glitter and a light blush along with powder and foundation. The mascara made her green eyes seem to pop right out of her face which made Lily stress a bit before Stella reassured her that she looked beautiful but casual, just like she should.

Lily practically danced down the stairs, and Stella watched with amusement from her bed until she collapsed backwards and almost instantly fell asleep. But James and Albus were downstairs, blocking the door out of the common room.

"Didn't we tell you that you weren't going?"

"Professor Longbottom didn't mind," she retorted. "Or otherwise he could have scheduled a detention for this morning."

"What about Dad?" Albus asked, obviously wanting to scare her. They really needed to learn new ways to scare her.

"I wrote a letter to him last night," she stated matter-of-factly. "I told him all about me and Scorpius, and how I always beat him in Quidditch."

They were actually surprised. "No you didn't," James accused.

Lily sighed. "Fine, just write to him and find out for yourself." Then, without warning, she pulled her wand out of the waistband of her shorts and petrified them both. She stepped over them and opened the door. "Sorry, big brothers. If your little sis is big enough to beat you, she can probably handle a few big, bad Slytherins."

When she entered the Great Hall, it was practically empty. Only the Slytherins were at their table, and only two or three teachers were eating. The Divination Professor, Trelawny, gazed at her oddly before making some odd hand gesture. Lily was about to return it for a rather obscene one when someone called, "Oi, Lily! Over here!"

She turned to find Scorpius making room for her at the Slytherin table. She walked over with a beaming smile. "Hey!"

He chortled as she sat down next to him. "I was certain that you wouldn't show up today. I was positive that you'd get detention or your brothers would try to stop you. Brilliant punch by the way. I've had times where I've wanted to do that to certain blokes before."

Lily was almost redder than her flaming hair when she saw that almost every Slytherin was openly staring at her. The entire table had gone silent, letting Scorpius's voice ring eerily across the room. "Th-th-thanks," was all she could choke out.

Let me introduce you to my friends," Scorpius said with perfect ease that only embarrassed Lily more. He pointed to the boy on his right. "This is Julian Zabini, my best mate." She shook hands with him cautiously, desperately hoping that her palms weren't very sweaty. The boy had dark hair, and nice dark skin. He smiled nicely enough, as though he had accepted that she was hanging out with Scorpius.

"This," Scorpius informed, gesturing to the girl next to Lily, "is Alicia Baddock. She helps me out with all the girl things." Lily half smiled and would have asked him what 'girl things' he needed help with, but she was certain that if she opened her mouth, her voice would come out as a squawk.

Alicia leaned close to Lily and whispered, "Nervous? Scorpius couldn't stop freaking out this morning. He's actually tried to rehearse this. I swear, I've never seen him get so worked up over a girl." She giggled and it eased Lily's spirits a bit.

He went on introducing practically all of the Slytherins there, but she lost track of anyone that wasn't as important. Eventually he looked down at her. "Aren't you going to eat something? We have to leave soon."

"O-Oh!" Lily started, being so wrapped up by his voice. She pulled some pie (of course) towards her and hastily shoved a bite into her mouth, trying to be lady-like about it.

Scorpius chuckled at her choice before his face turned serious. "So… I noticed your little fight yesterday with your brothers. Is everything okay?"

She smiled tentatively up at him. "I-I-I, erm, w-well let's j-just s-say that I-I h-hope they're c-c-comfortab-ble on th-the floor…"

He laughed and so did many of the others, including Alicia. All too soon, it was time to leave. Most of the others raced each other down to the pitch while some even flew down on their brooms. They walked slowly, and the others took the lead and left them skillfully alone.

He smiled at her uneasily. "So, erm, do you like them? My friends, I mean…"

Lily returned the smile more confidently than she had at the table. "Th-they a-aren't l-like I e-expected them t-to be."

"Why?" Scorpius asked seriously, "Because they aren't the awful Slytherins that would kill a muggleborn if they got the chance in the world outside? The Slytherin House, just like its occupants, has changed. We aren't like our parents, and even some of our parents were never like that."

He kicked at the ground dejectedly, the dust swirled around his Quidditch boots. She blushed to a light pink, a tad ashamed of herself for him being exactly right. "B-but I never thought of you like th-that. I guess I-I thought th-that you were s-so good that y-you had t-to be one-of-a-a-kind." Her voice had fallen to barely above a whisper and she blushed to a deeper red.

He returned his melted eyes to her face. He watched her silently, as though trying to commit each individual freckle that rarely splattered her face to memory. She became even redder and brushed a stray strand off of her face. Was there something on her face? Didn't he know it was extremely rude to stare?

Finally, he broke from some sort of trance, and they both realized that they had stopped walking simultaneously. He looked back down at the plush grass beneath them as they continued walking. "I know I'll do well today at tryouts."

Lily watched him, showing him some of her confusion. "Why? What could possibly make you better than usual?" She stopped warily. "You aren't using Felix Felicus are you?"

Scorpius seemed surprised and slightly appalled that she'd think of something like that. "No, no, nothing like that! I have my good luck charm. I wasn't sure if sh—it would come. It's sort of unpredictable."

"You still refuse to tell me what it is!" she said. "I mean, I showed you my good luck charm!"

He chuckled. "True, but I'm afraid that if I tell you who it is, it won't work anymore."

"Who?" Lily practically screamed in delight for a hint to the question she had been begging for all week. "This 'it' thingy is a _person_!"

Scorpius cursed rather colorfully.

By now they had reached the Quidditch pitch and everyone else was already setting up, waiting for them. The Quidditch Captain, a gigantic, hulking sixth year named Gregor Duffsonn, was smirking when they finally appeared, and he shouted, "Malfoy, get your lazy bum in the air, and do twenty laps for flirting with your Gryffindor girlfriend!"

They both blushed, much to his satisfaction. Scorpius stepped away from her. "You'll stay, won't you? I mean, yeah, they're dummies, but they're only teasing."

Lily smiled. She seemed to do that a lot around him. "Of course I won't leave! I told you that I was staying today, didn't I? I'll sit right here and won't move a muscle if it convinces you. Now you'd better get out there before twenty turns into thirty. Is your good luck charm here yet?"

He grinned to himself. An infuriating grin that was specifically used when he had some secret that he didn't want her to know, and it made her want to punch him and—never mind. "Yeah, it's safe and sound."

She was about to whack him; he was so asking for it. But he somehow managed to be hovering on his broom the next moment, and he patted her cheek as though she was a little child and swooped away, performing his twenty laps with breakneck speed.

Lily tried not to be too bored or too stressed while she sat on the cool benches, both being impossible. The tryouts were dull and she watched Scorpius carefully, who was racing against a nicely built seventh year. They hadn't seen the snitch; they were just having some battle of the wits.

"Okay, you've been staring at Scorp for ten minutes straight. Tell me what is going on between you two, right now." Lily gasped and whirled to find Alicia right behind her. She blushed.

"I-I-I—w-we, n-nothing is g-going on b-between us… w-we w-we're only fr-friends…." Her face had to be redder than her crimson hair considering that her cheeks were on the level 'about to die of humiliation after being slowly roasted at 1000 degrees.'

Alicia snorted lightly and sat down beside Lily. "He has to like you. He just has to, because he's always running off to play Quidditch instead of hanging out with any of us anymore. In fact, Zabini feels a bit lost without his best mate to speak up for him; he actually has to talk now."

That solicited a grin and dulled blush from her companion. "B-but w-we don't sp-spend all o-of our time t-together…"

"Do you have a speech impediment?" Alicia asked. The girl was quite blatant and not one to beat around the bush.

"N-no," Lily stuttered, "I-I just st-stutter when I-I'm u-unfamiliar w-with things. O-or nerv-vous."

Alicia laughed. "That's alright; I used to do that before I came here. When I met everyone, they sort of helped me out of my problem. My mum and dad had never been so happy."

Lily soon fell into a bit more of a reassured ease with Alicia whom she found that she liked very much. At least she wasn't stuttering nearly as much as she usually did with Scorpius. The said bloke was obviously becoming a bit bored after having caught the snitch for the fifth time in a row, but he would spot Lily every so often and wave at her. After two hours, they were only half way through the tryouts.

And of course, someone would have finally have come across two boys lying immobilized in the Gryffindor common room by this time. James and Albus had thankfully at least had the decency to dress themselves other than their boxers, but stormed as quickly as they could to the pitch.

James was actually red in the face like their mum was whenever she got really mad. Before she could react, the boys had grabbed her and were dragging her away from the stands. "Hey!" she protested rather loudly.

Alicia stood up with her wand out. "Let go of her."

Albus and James pulled their wands out and pointed them at her. Lily half-expected her to put her wand away and back down, but she firmly stood her ground. "You can't just take Lily. Merlin, leave her alone."

James laughed cruelly, making Lily shudder. "Poor Lily, she's not your charge. Go back to watching your tryouts."

When he said the first two words, Lily could have fainted of shock, paling at the words that haunted her nightmares and her real life. So far, she hadn't seen anything more of Mortellea since those dreams, but she just knew that the evil woman would be back.

Alicia saw her reaction and her trembling hands stopped shaking. "Let her go. If she wants to watch, then she is more than welcome to."

"She shouldn't be here. She's not Slytherin scum," Albus retorted. Well, it looked like two brothers woke up on the wrong side of the Petrificus Totalus curse today.

"Shut up, Al," Lily whispered as quietly as a breath. If he heard it, he had ignored it.

The Slytherin fourth year cuttingly replied, "At least I'm not a bunch of overprotective, arrogant brats. Just because your dad killed the Dark Lord, doesn't make you the best in the school."

"We never said that we were," James replied coolly.

"You certainly flaunt it every time you can, seeing as you use it twice a day at least to squirm out of expulsion."

"At least we don't think we're better than everyone else because of our blood; at least we have something honorable to flaunt." James and Albus glared daggers to the girl who glared right back.

"Enough!" Lily shrieked, loud enough that people playing Quidditch turned their heads to stare at them. "Stop acting like immature prats! Who cares if you disagree? Go away, boys! You're such prats!"

They seemed a bit shocked that she'd want to be with the Slytherins, but before anyone could say anything else, the snitch darted right in between them at eye level. Everyone stared at it as though it had hypnotized them.

Lily was the first to wake from the trance. She pushed her brothers away from the snitch since they were closest to her and she shouted at Alicia. The fourth-year Slytherin stepped back just in time for the seeker, some fifth year, to speed past, whipping Lily's long hair across her face. He didn't even seem to notice or at least care about the people barely centimeters away.

Scorpius was beside them merely half a second later, but he stopped between them. "Are you alright? Brandon's such a prat. He's gonna be in trouble for that one."

Murder glinted in his eyes and, with a shudder, Lily realized that he wasn't kidding. The boy named Brandon had been the first to catch the snitch besides Scorpius, and he triumphantly showed off the gleaming object in his fist. "Oi, Kaseton!" the real Seeker called out loudly in a voice that immediately made Brandon look to him with fear.

He slowly walked over to the group of Gryffindors and Slytherins, obviously trying to take his time before he died. Lily hovered close beside Scorpius and put a tiny, reassuring hand on his arm. "D-don't hurt him, p-please."

He looked down at her with those grey eyes that seemed to look through to her soul. She determinedly met his gaze and tried to use it to convict him not to do anything rash. He finally dropped his gaze to her hand and said, "Fine, but I may not be able to keep a promise."

She removed her hand but stayed near to him, still frightened that Scorpius might hurt the boy. When he was close enough he started lecturing him. "What on earth were you thinking? You could have gotten these people hurt! Were you even sure that they knew you were coming? If Lily hadn't been paying attention, you would've flown right into them!"

To the Potters' amazement, Brandon's head lowered in shame. Why would a fifth year even care about a little fourth year bossing him around? "That was stupid, irresponsible and reckless. I want you out here for practice at five tomorrow, and be ready to do plenty of drills."

"But—" Brandon began to protest at the earliness of such an awful time before the sun was even up, but Scorpius cut him off with a glare. "Sure," he grumbled instead.

"Get to the showers," Scorpius commanded coldly. "You're done for the day."

And that was that. There was no complaining or questioning, just obeying orders. Eventually, James came to, and pulled Lily away again. "Sure, I just love to throw myself into Slytherin drama, but it's really time to go, Lilsies."

"Stop," she said firmly. "I want to stay here. James let go of me!"

"Where do you think you're going?" Scorpius questioned with his last remnants of anger.

Albus answered, "Lily doesn't need to be in a place like this."

Scorpius actually paled (which Lily had been unsure that it could actually happen since he was so pale already) before he said, "She's not going anywhere; she said herself that she wanted to stay here."

"Too bad," James muttered with mock-pity. "She can't decide for herself what she needs. Besides, I'm in charge here."

Lily realized that she still had a free hand and used it to slap James upside the head. "Let go of me, you prat. I'm thirteen; I can decide for myself if I'll die if I stay here or not."

Albus stepped in and grabbed her other hand to keep her from whacking James again. "We know better than you, Lils. Just trust us."

"Oh, I'm supposed to trust you when you're physically restraining me? I'm not sure how that one works." She gave a sweet smile that usually meant trouble before she kicked Albus in the shin. As he bent over in pain, she muttered, "I only went easy on you because I have to."

But James had already tried to keep Lily from breaking away, and in the end, he picked her small body up and slung her over his shoulder as though she was a bag of grain. "Sorry, Lilsies," he apologized with a smirk and a tone that was mocking her.

She made some sort of unidentified screech before she started kicking and flailing in every way she could think as the blood rushed to her head. "_Put me down __**right now**__, James Sirius Potter! I swear I'll write to dad!_"

She could hear Albus snickering, at the sight of her knickers? Her skirt was hitched up rather high. A new wave of panic washed through her at the thought of Scorpius seeing her emerald colored knickers, and she ended up kicking James a bit lower than she had wanted to.

With a grunt, James froze, letting Lily slip down to the ground. He bent over, his face distorted in pain. Albus and Scorpius were obviously imagining with horror the pain he had to be going through while Alicia was behind the rest, snickering with her hand covering her mouth.

Lily's eyes widened and she said, "I'm sooo sorry, James. But you deserved it."

He recovered after a few minutes. When he did, he attacked her by surprise and punched her in the gut. Her breath came out with a whoosh as she felt a sort of reeling sickness. She tackled him and they fell back onto the ground and tussled on the grass. Her nails scratched James so hard that he started to bleed, but he quickly overpowered her.

He took in raspy breaths once he had won. He held her to the ground, his body barely hovering over her. "Just give up and come inside."

"Never," she gasped, just as breathless as him. Then she punched him in the face.

He punched her back and she struggled underneath him, before she finally managed to wriggle out of his grip before she dove on top of him again. She didn't even care that she was wearing a skirt. Suddenly, Albus and Scorpius were there, each trying to restrain them. Scorpius quickly grabbed Lily around the waist and pulled her out of the fray just as Albus managed to restrain James somewhat.

"Just go away," Lily said hotly to the boys. "I'm going to stay here, so you'd better just leave before I hex you."

They seemed to realize that they had lost this battle, and they left, thoroughly beaten. James glanced back once with a very unhappy glare that said, _you are so dead as soon as you enter the Gryffindor common room._

Lily sighed and Scorpius let go of her, seeing that the fight was over. Alicia was beside her, glaring at James just as angrily. She turned to Scorpius. "I'm sorry about my brothers. They're so stupid sometimes."

He smiled bleakly. "It's fine, Lily. I'm just glad you get to stay. I've got to keep playing. If anyone gives you anymore rubbish, just call me and I'll hex them right into the Hospital Wing."

She smiled, reassured as he flew away. If she had won the battle, why did she feel so awful? She and Alicia sat down together again in the stands, but didn't talk much. Eventually, Lily pulled out her broken snitch and watched it feebly try to fly, its wings moving up and down ever so slowly.

The tryouts ended much too soon, and Scorpius was by her side the moment he was allowed to. "So? How did we do? We're going to beat Gryffindor, aren't we?"

That brought half of a smile back to her face. "N-No, absolutely not. W-we'll a-always win."

They walked slowly to the castle again, Alicia muttering some excuse about needing to talk to Julian Zabini. The silence was awkward, and Lily slowly shuffled across the grounds. Barely anything of importance had been said by the time they reached the Entrance Hall. She could hear the jabbering sounds of the students as they ate lunch in the Great Hall.

She stopped at the stairs and so did Scorpius with much confusion. "Th-thank you for today," she said, almost formally. "I had a lot of f-fun."

"Aren't you coming to eat lunch? You must be starving." His quizzical grey almost seemed to X-ray her.

"N-no, I-I'm n-not very h-hungry. I-I'm j-just going to g-go t-to my dorm." She dropped her gaze to her shoes that were splattered with mud from earlier in the week.

"Alright," he said quietly. "But if your brothers try to pull anything, just tell me and I'll kick their butts."

She smiled. "Thank you, Scorpius. I'll see you tomorrow."

Lily slowly made her way to Gryffindor Tower, and when she stood before the painting of the Fat Lady, she took a deep breath before she muttered the password and walked to her doom.

**Another super-long chapter. I'm pretty glad that I got all of this finished in time for Sunday because I have been dealing with absolutely the worst week of my life. I hate my teachers, suffered a short period of writer's block, had to deal with some really stupid people **_**and**_** I just got news that my aunt died, so I'm sorry if it was a bit down there at the end. Anyways, please remember to review!**


	10. cancelled Quidditch

**Yay for the next chapter! I have over twenty reviews now (eeep!) and please remember to review! Okay, so now we're going to skip maybe a month or two to the first Quidditch match of the season o.O ! I'm expecting this story to start skipping more now, over less important times when nothing really happens, and I think the story will end close to the end of Lily's fifth year. But that is a huge maybe. Without further ado, here is the next chapter! (I have ten now! YAY)**

Chapter 10: Cancelled Quidditch

Lily felt rather odd sitting amongst the Gryffindor Quidditch team adorned in scarlet robes. Alexander Wood, a sixth-year, had become the new Keeper for the team, and his younger sister, a fourth-year, had been in tryouts for Seeker. As he moved past her to sit down, he slapped her on the back for encouragement.

"You should really eat something, Lils," James told her, noticing that she hadn't touched her food. He and Albus had forgiven her for going to the Slytherin tryouts when she had returned to the common room that night, and they had gradually accepted that she was becoming friends with Scorpius, Alicia, and Julian.

She and Scorpius spent almost every day practicing Quidditch, and occasionally Alicia and Julian would play with them. Lily could beat him every time, although it was usually a very intense and competitive game between them. Her father had written to her about Scorpius, and they had been a debate for almost two weeks until he gave in but warned her not to let the Slytherins 'slither their way into you and get you in more trouble than they're worth.'

"I'm not hungry," she mumbled but nibbled on her toast to satisfy him. Her hands shook as she set the toast back on her plate, spilling a few crumbs onto the table.

"You'll do excellently," Jordan said, hanging an arm around her shoulder. He had become very protective of her, almost like her brothers. "But we've gotta go if you need to get dressed."

The team stood up and was walking through the Entrance Hall when Scorpius jogged over to her. "Wish me luck?" he asked with a cocky grin. His green and silver robes brought out his grey eyes that smoldered.

The Gryffindors watched him apprehensively. None of them really trusted the friendship, but tolerated it anyways. Lily laughed. "Fine, good luck, although I highly doubt you'll win. Lorcan has practiced very hard."

He grinned. "I can win. But you'll cheer me on, right?"

Lily rolled her eyes and fingered the scarlet and gold scarf hanging around her neck. "I'm a Gryffindor. Do you really expect me to desert my house?" She had lost most of her stutter after she fell into a familiar ease with him and she only stuttered when he really caught her off guard.

He laughed. "Yes. You might as well, seeing as I'm going to win."

"How can you be so sure about that?" she asked sarcastically.

"Because my good luck charm will be there," Scorpius answered simply.

"Oooh," Lily squealed. "Please won't you tell me who she is?"

"Now where did we get someone of the female gender in there? I never said it was a girl."

"But they _have_ to be! Alicia and I already decided that it has to be a girl, unless you're gay."

Scorpius made a face. "I am _not_ gay. And fine; it's a girl."

"Oh who is it?" Lily begged, ready to do anything to find out. This had been the one thing he refused to tell the girls, and the secret was driving Lily crazy.

"See if you can find her today," Scorpius answered.

"We've got to go, Lilsies," Albus warned, his green eyes making sure she didn't let anything slip.

"Bye, Flower," Scorpius said, using the nickname the Slytherins used for her after he had deemed her Lily Flower one day when they were bored. "I'll see you after the game." He winked at her before her turned to rejoin his team.

Lily smiled to herself as the team shuffled across the grounds. _See you _during_ the game,_ she corrected mentally. When they reached the edges of the Quidditch pitch, Lily wasted no time in slipping into the girls' shower stalls. She muttered the password that Professor Longbottom had given her at breakfast (they didn't want any boys sneaking in *cough*James*cough* to terrorize the girls) as Jordan went into the Captain's Quarters to get her broom.

She pulled the scarlet robes out of her rucksack with _L. Potter_ emblazoned on the back. She struggled into the comfortable clothes and slipped on the matching boots. She heard Albus knock on the door. She stuffed her other clothes into her bag and stepped out.

Her brothers rushed her into the covered area where the team had to wait until they were announced. Jordan handed her the Lightningbolt with a breath-taking smile. "You can do this."

She only managed to nod. Suddenly, she could hear the magnified voice of a second year Hufflepuff whose name she couldn't remember at the moment. "Welcome to the first match of the season, and this is sure to be a good one! Today we have a match between Gryffindor and Slytherin!"

Cheers erupted, forcing him to fall silent as he let them die down. Lily looked to Albus for reassurance and felt shock when she saw that he really had a camera hanging from around his neck. "You can't be serious," she whispered frantically.

He smiled the trademark Potter smile (all rights reserved). "You can't really expect to pass up such a brill opportunity, can you?"

She rolled her eyes as the commentator continued. "And now for the Slytherin team!" She could hear the loud boos of the Gryffindors and the cheers of the Slytherins. "The Keeper, Amelia Hort, the Chasers Edmund Richards… Josh Whitman… and Heston Lestrange!" He paused between each name, and Lily knew they were individually walking out on the field, clapping each other on the backs as their members joined them. "The Beaters, twins, George and Kent Kempton…! And, finally, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the Seeker of the Slytherin team, Scorpius Malfoy!"

Lily wished she could tell the Gryffindors to bloody well shut up as they booed their loudest yet. They Slytherins tried to drown them out, but suddenly a roar told her that Lysander had found their mother's old hat.

"And now for the Gryffindor team! The Keeper, Alexander Wood!" The doors in front of them had opened and Alex walked out with his broom, waving to the crowd. "The Chasers, Jordan McLaggen… Kendall Arnett… and James Potter!" They left amidst the cheers, leaving Lily, Albus and Amos Blocc.

Soon though, much too soon, the commentator announced Albus and Amos and they left her in the shadows. "And the Gryffindor Seeker is…" She was tense, waiting for him to say her name and hear the confusion and cheers, but there was mumbling instead.

The commentator, whom Lily now remembered as Jonah Campton, could be heard talking to Professor Longbottom since he still had his voice magnified. "Professor, I think there's something wrong with your roster."

Longbottom's voice was faint but could still be heard over the microphone. "No, no, it's right."

"Are you sure, Sir? I'm positive that this isn't right."

"No, Mr. Campton. It is absolutely correct. I put it together myself."

"Can you double-check, Professor?"

The crowd in the stands was obviously getting restless. The Slytherin team was watching the stands where the teachers were curiously. James was practically jumping up and down with the secret, and from the shadows, Lily saw Jordan pull out his wand and point it at his throat. "Lily Potter!"

Only Gryffindor cheered as she walked into the blinding sun with a smile that changed to a smirk when she saw the reaction of the school. She couldn't help but laugh as she swaggered to the center of the field. Albus was actually taking pictures of the Slytherin team who were all staring at her like she had fallen from the sky.

Scorpius had gone completely white, his laughter at a joke his teammate had told him dripping away instantly. Emotions flitted across his face so fast that she was just barely able to recognize them before another replaced it. Shock… amusement… revelation… anger… she groaned when it settled on furious and his face started turning pinkish.

When she reached where the teams were gathered, she saw that his knuckles were white as his hands gripped his broom hard enough to break it. "You Liar!" he yelled suddenly.

She was suddenly more worried about what Scorpius was thinking than the game even. "I never lied to you! No one lied!"

"Yes you did! What was all that crap about Lorcan being on the team? You said you were practicing your Quidditch for_ next_ year!"

"Jordan said that Lorcan _might_ be on the team! And maybe I want to be on the team next year, too! You should never assume things, Scorp!" Lily couldn't help but let his anger infect her, too, until she was yelling right back at him.

"You _made_ it so that we would assume things!" His face was gradually growing redder, but Lily felt the heat creeping up her neck. "I bloody _trusted_ you! I thought we were _friends!_!"

She faltered with her already planned retort. In the tiny silence between them, she was barely aware of the other fights going on around her. Her ears were ringing, and she was certain that her face was as red as her hair. "We _are_ friends." Her voice was quieter, less forceful. _Please forgive me,_ she thought desperately.

"You knew this the whole bloody effing time, didn't you?" Scorpius yelled at her. "You knew you were going behind my back to do this!"

"Maybe I did!" Lily shouted back. Letting the anger take over was easier than groveling on the ground for forgiveness. "It's Quidditch! Not running through a bloody field of daisies!"

From the corner of her eye, Lily watched as James punched the Slytherin captain in the face. He didn't punch anyone with the exception of his siblings unless he had a good reason. Her focus on Scorpius saw as he moved in to defend the captain and punch James in the gut.

Nobody hit her brothers.

So she did the only logical thing; she wasn't strong enough to hurt him with a punch. So she tackled him. He staggered around for a second with her riding on his back until they both toppled to the grass. They rolled over each other, trying to be successful in pinning the other down. Scorpius had her where she had to struggle for a moment, but she managed to kick him and roll herself on top.

He gave her that infuriating smirk. "I didn't know that you liked being in control."

Her vision became tinted with a red haze and she raised her fist to give him a crooked nose like hers. But she never got to connect her fist with his face because someone wrenched her off of him. She turned to punch them, but she dropped her fist when she found Neville Longbottom watching her with obvious disappointment. _Dad's gonna kill me,_ randomly raced through her mind.

Then she became aware of the shrill sounds coming from Madame Hooch's whistle. Everyone stopped what they were doing, even the Slytherins. "I will _not_ accept this behavior on _my_ Quidditch pitch! And you haven't even gotten yourselves in the _sky_ yet!"

A lump rose in Lily's throat, and she stared at the ground as the shame made her feel so idiotic. "I'm not entirely sure that I'm going to let you have a game today! This is_ not_ some muggle _brawling _ring!"

Everyone started protesting the idea, even the students in the stands. Lily, who was still being restrained by Neville, tried to say something, but they were so loud that she wasn't heard until she yelled, "Blimey! Just _shut up_!"

They stopped and looked at her curiously. Everyone, including those in the stands was silent, waiting for something to add to the gossip pile. She started stammering, not liking everyone looking at her and only her. "I-I-I'll dr-drop o-out i-if th-that will k-keep the g-game g-going. I-I'm th-the o-one e-everyone's m-mad a-about…"

Madame Hooch looked like she was debating it. Then Scorpius stood up, brushed himself off, and said, "Just let her play. We can settle this latter. I just want to play some Quidditch."

She scrutinized him carefully. Fine, but there will be no roughhousing up there. Do you all here me?" Everyone nodded their heads and got into position in a circle, mounting their brooms. On the counts of three, Madame Hooch threw the quaffle in the air and all the players shot into the air.

Lily zoomed up higher than the others, barely listening to the commentary. "And Potter has the Quaffle! James Potter that is! Things are starting to look confusing with all of the Potter students on the team now. Score for Gryffindor! And now Lestrange passes it to Whitman…"

She saw Scorpius not too far from her. She raced over to him. "Scorp, I'm sorry!"

He sneered and said, "Apology not accepted, Potter."

She stopped mid-call to him. Her vision of the bright blue sky and stunning green field blurred into grays and shadows of an alley. She shook her head and left Scorpius without another word, trying to scout out the snitch. They would talk later, then.

"_Poor Lily…_" She gasped and whirled to the oh-so-familiar sound that had been whispered in her ear. She had _felt_ the breath tickle her neck. No one was there. She circled the pitch once before she dove into a Wronski Feint, focused on one of the painted while lines in the grass.

"It appears that Potter has seen the snitch! She's diving for it, and Malfoy's not far behind, gaining on her, even!"

The sound was blocked out along with the rest of her senses and she was pulled back to the alley where someone was appearing from the shadows. "_Your little lover boy is so upset with you, isn't he? Poor Lily, you'll probably never be able to fix this one…"_

She flashed back just before she crashed headfirst to the ground. She managed to pull away from the ground and she returned to her perch higher in the air. Scorpius, who had seen the ruse was on the other end of the pitch.

There was blood pooling in the alley. Mortellea abandoned the shadows, her black hair glimmering with the dim light and her eyes glinting. Lily started shaking on the broom when she saw a drop of blood splash onto the ground from the woman's hand.

"_Lily's ruined her own life. And so quickly, too! Scorpius doesn't want to forgive her, and he never will…"_

Lily squeezed her eyes shut, trying to see only the darkness of her own mind and pressed her hands over her ears. "G-go a-away," she mumbled.

"_You can't make me leave." _Mortellea was getting closer to Lily who couldn't make herself run away. She let a bloody hand brush against her cheek.

Lily screamed at the feeling of warm blood on her face. Whoever had died had been murdered maybe only a minute or two before. She thrashed against Mortellea's hand.

Her eyes jerked open and her hands reflexively found her broom handle as it swooped downward of her unconscious command. She tried to regain control, but she was already in the alley again.

_"You don't like that, do you? You don't know what's happened here, and that terrifies you. What if it's someone you know?"_ Mortellea's breath flowed across Lily's face, bringing the scent of chocolate.

The chocolate smell mixed with the smell of the blood on her check. "Wh-who d-d-d-did you k-k-k-kill?"

The woman slowly walked in a circle around the immobile girl. "_Don't you know?"_

Lily started crying. Her eyes were squeezed shut again and her hands over her ears. "V-Vi-Viktor K-K-Krum," she whispered.

"Lily? Lily, look at me." She could hear someone calling for her from another world, a hazy dream almost. A dream that made her feel safe. But with Mortellea, a place like that didn't exist.

"_You hear him calling you, don't you? But I'm not quite done with you yet."_

She was moving in that other world, and it brought her out of the haze a little. Platinum-blonde hair. Scorpius was by her. "Lily, come on, you need to get to the ground."

Lily screamed again, more terrified than before. A man with a dark goatee that curled at the end and graying hair gazed at her blankly. His vacant eyes were blue ad blood covered the rest of his face and most of his body. Mortellea was holding him up by his bloody shirt. "_This is him, isn't it? Do you know who he is?"_

"Former Bulgarian Quidditch Seeker," she whispered, transfixed by the eyes. "He's forty years old and has three kids…" She broke into hysterics. She was trying to thrash away from Mortellea, but it seemed that she was only thrashing in the hazy world that couldn't exist.

The vile woman dropped the man. Lily moved for the first time, only jumping back a bit to avoid having his head fall on her feet. As it was, his own blood splashed and soaked her legs. She screamed again when she heard another crack that meant that he had broken another bone when he made contact with the alley floor.

"Calm down, Lily, everything's alright. No one's going to hurt you."

The vaguely familiar voice came again and this time, she screamed, "She's going to kill me! It's bloody everywhere! Help, someone, please help!"

_"No one's going to help you, Little Lily."_ Mortellea told her in a seductive voice as she pulled out her wand. She twirled the stick between her fingers. She dipped it in blood and began tracing pictures on Lily's skin, like those from Ancient Runes class. "_You're in my world now."_

Lily shivered and shut her eyes, waiting for the killing curse. It didn't come. _"I'm not going to make things that easy for you,"_ the woman told her. She muttered something under her breath and Lily wished she would die.

Screams filled the air and it took Lily ages to realize that they were her own. She was curled in the man's warm blood on the ground. It was in her hair, soaked into her clothes, drying on her face, and she didn't care. All that she could tell was that every pore of her body was filled with pain.

In the back of her mind, Lily's Defense Against the Dark Arts class kicked in and she barely recognized the Cruciatus Curse. She tried to think about anything other than the pain, but nothing could block it out.

She thought to her hazy dream filled with bright colors and found the pain lessening and someone saying, "Lily! Lily, hang on! Wake up, Lily! Wake up!"

_Lily._ She recognized her voice and her eyes opened. The pain had disappeared along with the alley. She had somehow reached the ground of the Quidditch pitch and found herself curled into the ground. Her hands were caked with mud from digging her hands into the ground. Her white broomstick was five feet away from her and people were crowding around her.

James was the first one she saw, and he was terribly panicked. His voice had been the one she heard from the haze. She recognized Albus and the rest of the Gryffindor team along with Mistress Wilkinson, Madame Hooch, and Professor Longbottom. Scorpius was squeezed right beside Al and he held one of her hands, smoothing the mud off.

James sighed, relieved. "Merlin, Lily, Madame Pomphrey will be here soon, someone's already been sent for her. It's alright. You'll be fine. No one was hurting you."

She was still shaking and found that she was freezing cold although sweat made her hair stick to her face. "James," she barely whispered.

"Mum and Dad will be so worried about you. You're lucky you didn't fall off your broom."

"James," she said a bit louder.

"The game's cancelled for now, obviously, so don't worry about the snitch or anything—"

"JAMES!" she yelled, cutting him off. She grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down with strength that shouldn't have been possible in her state. He was so shocked that he nearly squished her. She recognized white designs on her arms like the ones Mortellea had drawn on those exact spots.

The weakness came back and Lily whispered, "Tell Dad… Viktor Krum is dead."

And Lily fainted, letting the darkness envelope her.

**This was soooo not how I planned the chapter, but this is how it came out… XP Please review! It helps me when you tell me what you think will happen. I crammed in this update for you so please review! And sorry to any Krum fans out there :( I needed someone familiar to die so that it be more shocking. I hope I didn't say too much! LOL **


	11. The Art of the Inner Eye

**The 11****th**** chapter! It's here! Lol thanks to all the people who reviewed because I got like six or seven people telling me that they thought the last chapter was really good and I was really surprised because I wasn't sure how much people would like it. And my alerts **_**doubled**_** in size, so thank you to everyone! Okay so the next bit was originally in the chapter and then it got cut and revised but now because of the unexpected ending of last chapter, it was put back in. This chapter is going to REALLY make a difference so pay attention to the important parts!**

Chapter 11: The Art of the Inner Eye

Harry Potter held one of his daughter's tiny hands in his own. This wasn't right. It was just supposed to be a normal Quidditch game on a nice, sunny day. But now Madame Pomphrey and some of the other teachers were tossing around St. Mungo's.

Surely it couldn't be _that_ serious, but the boys were terrified for Lily and Scorpius Malfoy, whom she had fought for weeks with Harry to have as a friend, refused to leave the Hospital Wing although he was missing class and already had a dozen detentions.

Of course, Harry hadn't seen what was going on there, but of what he knew, he, the head of the Auror Department, was more than a little scared himself. Neville Longbottom, his old roommate at Hogwarts, had flooed right into his office during an important meeting with the Minister of Magic, Mr. Kingsley, and stammered so much that the only word he could make out was Lily.

Harry was up in a heartbeat, telling Neville to calm down. The first thing that Neville could choke out was, "Lily thinks that Victor Krum has been murdered."

There were gasps from the other people in the room and suddenly the door burst open. Harry found himself yelling, "Does _no one_ understand that we were in the middle of an important meeting?"

But it was Ron Weasley that walked in, his freckles showing more on his face than usual because he was so scared. "Th-they found Victor Krum. Murdered in some abandoned alley in the backstreets of London."

To Harry, there was only one possible way Lily could have known something before the Aurors themselves did. He spun on Neville. "How did she get out of the school?"

"She didn't," Neville answered, clearly intimidated by Harry's ferocity. "She was just p-playing Quidditch."

"She's not even on the team, though," he replied, his thoughts running across the ocean and back again in a second. "She specifically told me that she broke her nose and she wanted to break McLaggen's face because she didn't make the team."

"What about Krum, Harry?" Ron interrupted impatiently.

"Send someone out there," he said absently. "See if they find anything."

Ron nodded and was out the door in a second with only, "I'll see to it myself, then."

Neville was talking again, recapturing Harry's attention. "She lied. The boys told her secretly that she was the seeker but they made it look like it was Lorcan. That way, she surprised the Slytherin team when she showed up on the field.

"When they saw her, the teams got on a fight and Madame Hooch almost cancelled the game. They promised no roughhousing and got into the air. About twenty minutes into the game, Lily was too high up above the game with her hands over her ears and looking like she was muttering to herself."

Neville had gone white, just talking about what had happened. "And then the screaming started."

But he didn't continue. The look of horror on his face drove Harry to grab him by the arms roughly. "Who was screaming? What happened to Lily?"

Neville blinked. "She did, she was screaming. She was screaming about blood and death, and someone else, I think. She had to be at least a hundred feet in the air, and Scorpius Malfoy tried to lead her back down to the ground. But she kept thrashing on her broom so that she would have fallen off if Malfoy hadn't been there.

"As soon as she was on the ground, she curled up and kept screaming, and everyone was trying to calm her down all at once. Lily stopped screaming after maybe five more minutes, and James just kept telling her all this unimportant stuff.

"She kept trying to get his attention, but he just kept babbling. She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt with too much force, a-and she said, 'Tell Dad… Viktor Krum is dead,' and then she fainted. She's asleep now in the Hospital Wing. She hasn't even come close to regaining consciousness."

Harry's eyes had widened as the tale that had been spun seemed to be so absurd. "But what's wrong with Lily?"

Neville shrugged. "Madame Pomphrey says that she's in perfect physical health…."

"Oh, Merlin," Harry whispered, his face pale, knowing what Neville would say next. What had gone wrong? Lily had seemed like such a perfectly normal girl. He wanted to throw up when he had read a letter from his daughter talking about a cute Hufflepuff in her second year, but Ginny had patted his shoulder as he turned green and assured him that this meant she was a healthy young lady.

"Madame Pomphrey believes that her mind has just sort of shut down to try to recover." Neville looked almost as awful as Harry felt. As it was, his knees got weak and he had to sit in the nearby chair.

Harry shut his eyes and let his head fall in his hands. Oh, Merlin, this had to so awful for her and the boys. And Ginny. His mind flew to his wife who was probably in the kitchen, making a nice dinner for two and thinking that her little girl was perfectly fine.

"Mr. Potter?" Harry took a moment to pull himself together before looking up. Mr. Kingsley had been a great help during the war, earning his title as Minister. "You may go see your daughter, if you wish. We will completely understand. But please send a patronus to Mr. Weasley, so he knows that he will be taking your post until you get back."

Harry stood up with a nod. "Thank you so much, Minister." He thought the patronus charm with a flick of his wand and a stag burst from the tip. The stag raced off to find Ron with a complete explanation. He turned to Neville and said, "We need to get Ginny."

The apparated to Harry's home in a secluded spot that they always used so no muggles would see them. After the war, Harry and Ginny had found themselves at Godric's Hollow, a half-wizard, half-muggle community. They hurried across the street they had to pass just before his house, ignoring the looks they got from their odd robes that billowed behind them.

Harry didn't bother with anything. He burst into the back door with a bang. He heard Ginny's shriek but was in her line of sight before she could pull out her wand. "Ginny, we have to go; it's Lily."

So they found themselves practically running from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts. When they were there, Professors Slughorn, Hagrid , and Corsche were waiting along with Headmistress Wilkinson. Ginny looked ready to cry. "What's going on, Harry?" she asked for what had to have been the millionth time.

"Mr. and Mrs. Potter," Wilkinson addressed. "Your daughter is inside. The Potter boys and Mr. Malfoy are in there as well. Madame Pomphrey is attending to her as of now."

They proceeded to tell them what they knew, which wasn't anything besides what Neville knew. Ginny had taken Harry's handkerchief and was dabbing her eyes with it. "What's going to happen to Lily?"

Madame Wilkinson gave her a grave, cold look. "I believe that this is your choice, and nothing can be decided on until we have an opportunity, which will not be until she regains consciousness. Please keep in mind, Mrs. Potter, that things may not be as bad as they seem."

Harry dropped his gaze to the floor and noticed three pink pieces of flesh coming from underneath the door. Wilkinson continued, "I believe that if things really do go the way they look like they are going, your best option would be to send her to St. Mungo's. It may be that she will need special attention."

Oh, Merlin. A permanent room for her at St. Mungo's? Harry couldn't help but let his eyes flash to Neville for a moment. His parents had spent his entire life in a hospital room in St. Mungo's. When he and Ron and Hermione had seen it, he couldn't help but feel awful for Neville.

Harry pressed his foot against the three fleshy pieces, knowing exactly what they were. George Weasley had made them with his twin, Fred, ages ago. The Extendable Ears had been used by Harry himself many times when he was younger… and sometimes when he had been older. But the boys, presumably James, Albus, and Scorpius Malfoy, did _not_ need to hear this.

Ginny was now sobbing into the handkerchief, and Harry wrapped his arms around her and held her close to his chest. "C-can we see her?" she asked between sobs.

"Of course," Wilkinson said, opening one of the doors. Harry lifted his foot so that the three Extendable Ears slipped back to their owners and were most likely, swiftly stuffed in pockets. When she opened the door, Harry saw the same room that he had once stayed in many times.

At the end, a little form was still underneath the covers. Three boys were in between the adults and the bed though. Ginny escaped from Harry's arms and strangled her two boys. "Oh, everything will be okay!" she crooned, like the boys were more upset than she was.

Harry turned his attention to the third boy, the Malfoy. His hair was the exact light blonde of his father's, but his eyes were grey and perceptive. Harry held out his hand to the boy. "Hello, Scorpius."

He shook Harry's hand and said, "Hello, Mr. Potter."

"I hear that you played a role in helping with my daughter. Thank you."

Scorpius looked down at the ground, and Harry thought that he could almost hear his heart thudding rapidly. "Y-yes, sir. Y-you have a good girl over there."

Ginny who had released her sons, suddenly attacked him with a hug. Harry couldn't help but chuckle at the behavior that was so much like Mrs. Weasley. "Oh, thank you so much! You're such a good boy! Oh, you helped save Lily!"

Harry gently pried her off of the fourth-year, who looked a little more than stunned. "Let's go see Lily, love," he murmured gently.

Those were the magical words for his wife. She let him guide her to the bed where Lily laid, her red hair splayed across the sheets. Her eyes were shut and she looked almost peaceful. She looked so much younger in that peace of a different world where no harm could come to her, reminding him of the little girl that had wanted him to dress up in a pink frilly princess dress when she was four.

"Dad, _please_ don't get all emotional on us." James's voice wavered uncertainly, showing that he was close to getting all emotional, too.

But Harry hadn't even realized that tears were forming in his eyes, and he rapidly blinked them away. Albus was sitting in his chair, looking very upset at the moment. His huge green eyes looked to his parents, and a tear had already fallen down his check. "You won't really let them send Lily to St. Mungo's, will you?"

Ginny was crying again, and she sobbed into Harry's chest. He rubbed her back with soothing circles. Harry blinked away more tears. "W-we may have to, Albus."

"But you can't let them do that! She's normal! She really is!" In his anger, Al stood up. His fists became clenched and the tears started spilling down faster. "Please, Dad," his voice was thick; "You can't let them do that."

"If she is a danger to others, then we have to, Al. We'll do what we have to. She'll still be your sister." Harry was trying to reason that within himself as well. In his head though, it didn't make sense.

"But she's not a danger to others, Dad!" Albus fought with the convoluted logic vehemently.

"Even if she's a danger to herself!" Harry was yelling and crying now, too. His little baby girl was a danger to no one. She wouldn't even hex a fly… maybe a Slytherin, but that was beside the point. "She nearly fell from a hundred feet in the air, Albus! It's best for everyone if she goes! We can't let her hurt herself, and the Healers will know exactly how to deal with her!"

"You act like she's not your own daughter! She's my _sister_! I won't let you do this!" Albus moved towards her, protectively.

"Shut up. You woke her up." Scorpius's quiet voice interrupted their fight. Everyone snapped to, and all eyes fell on the form that had groaned and shifted. She started like she was going to stretch, and then she froze. Her eyelids suddenly opened wide.

Her hands curled in the sheets and they twisted around her fingers. Harry watched as her eyes did something extraordinary. The pupils of her eyes seemed to grow, slowly overtaking any color of emerald there. But when it reached the edges of her irises, it kept spreading like an infection, until her eyes were a pure black. Lily started gasping for air, like someone was choking her. No one could move towards her, as though they were frozen forever, watching this… distress, Harry supposed it looked like.

Then she started speaking. Her voice came out like it was rough and had never been used as she wheezed out the words.

_"Another comes, the worst of centuries._

_ Just when the world has had its first taste of peace,_

_ The darkness shall come and destroy everything in its path._

_ One darker than He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named comes,_

_ To terrify and return fear to everyone._

_ No one is safe, from the smallest muggle child,_

_ To the greatest of Wizards himself._

_ But there is only one to end her._

_ The evil One has chosen this girl herself._

_ The death and end of one,_

_ Shall bring on the whole new world of another._

_ But many will not know_

_ The difference between the enemy and the savior._

_ Bloodshed shall be shouted everywhere._

_ All shall live in fear of the Evil One and her enemy."_

Then Lily closed her eyes once, and opened them, revealing her almost-normal green. The pupils were still too big though. She seemed to find herself in some haze as her grip on the sheets relaxed. "Mum?" she asked groggily. "Dad? What's going on?"

No one could find their voice. "Mum, Dad, why are you here? What happened? Did I get hurt at the Quidditch game?" She looked to each family member's face. They were all blank and unmoving with some sort of shock and most of them had red, puffy eyes like they had been crying. "How long have I been unconscious?"

Her eyes fell on Scorpius, who was sitting further away from her bed. He was the only one who looked responsive. She found herself throwing off the covers. She slammed her feet onto the floor, and ran over to him. "I'm so sorry, Scorpius! I didn't think you'd be that angry! I love that you're my friend! Please forgive me!" She threw her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder, any other thoughts flying out of her mind, except that she needed him to forgive her.

Scorpius wrapped his arms around her and said, "I was never mad, Flower; I already forgave you. Don't get upset about it."

Her father turned responsive, and right into overprotective mode. He gently lifted her off of Scorpius and carried her back to her bed. "Alright, Lily, you just need to rest and relax. We'll explain everything tomorrow. We'll have all your things packed by then."

"But, Dad," she said with confusion, "I'm fine! I've been millions of times worse. Where am I going?" Why would he have to pack her things? Something clicked. "Why am I leaving Hogwarts? It's nowhere near time for a holiday! Term just started a month or so ago!"

"Lily," her mother's voice was thick and she wiped her eyes. "We can talk in the morning. Just rest for now. You're going to leave with us tomorrow."

"This is about the Quidditch stuff isn't it? Mum, I swear it was nothing. I'm perfectly normal! I promise I won't get in any more trouble! Please, Dad, you wouldn't seriously take me out of Hogwarts, would you?" Lily appealed to both of her parents who were looking at her gravely.

"You're not in trouble," Harry sighed. "You just can't stay here anymore."

Albus suddenly cut in with ferocity in his green eyes. "Lily, is it going to rain tomorrow?"

Lily, along with her parents glared at him. He had been asking Lily this question every day since their Quidditch Tryouts, but this was _so_ not the time. Her eyes went a little blank for half of a second before she snapped, "Yes, Albus, of course it will. At exactly 1:12 in the morning. Do you really have to ask something like that now?"

"Yes, who is the next person that will walk in here?"

She was seriously annoyed, but she couldn't help but answer his question. "Madame Pomphrey."

"When?"

"In precisely forty-two seconds."

"Keep track on your watch, Dad," her younger brother muttered. To her mild surprise, Harry pulled up his sleeve and began ticking off the seconds. "What will she say?"

"'What's wrong with all of you? Can't you tell that this girl needs rest?' But why do you want to know this, Al? Can someone _please_ tell me where I'm going tomorrow?"

No one said anything, letting her brood to herself for around forty seconds when the doors burst open. "What's wrong with all of you?" Madame Pomphrey asked. "Can't you tell that this girl needs rest?"

Harry, Ginny, and the rest of the people in the room practically fell out of their chairs with surprise, except for Albus and Lily. "How the hell did she do that?" Harry choked out.

"She is normal, Dad! I _tried_ to tell you that she didn't need to go to St. Mungo's!"Albus's voice rose like it did when he was trying to wheedle something out of a member of his family usually.

"_St. Mungo's?_" Lily's voice rose about two or three octaves. "Why the _hell_ are you sending me to St. Mungo's? I'm not _that_ crazy!"

"Lily what did you just do?" Her father was hovering over her, his green eyes searching for something. Anything.

"What do you…?" Lily's pupils grew a bit again. She swung her feet out of bed and gazed ahead of her, reminding everyone of a blind person that didn't look with their eyes. "I need to go somewhere. Everyone will understand then."

"Lily Luna Potter, just where do you think you're going?" Ginny used the same tone she had used when her children were still little kids and tried to sneak into the kitchen when she wasn't looking to steal the entire cookie jar, not just one cookie. They were pretty smart kids.

She stood up and walked right past a surprised Madame Pomphrey. "I have someone I need to meet. She's expecting me. She's known for ages, and I didn't even realize it. She will show my true nature."

"Lily, come back here," Harry said as he scrambled to his feet. He and Ginny followed her to the doorway. He grabbed her wrist to stop her from wandering through the corridors of Hogwarts in… well, whatever state she was in at the moment.

"Dad, if I don't go now, then we're all doomed. Just let me go. I'm not a little girl anymore." The words that would've had to come at some point made his eyes sting a little. He knew that, to a point, but she was still only thirteen. That made his decision.

"Lily, you can only go if your mum and I can come with you."

She met his eyes, and a shiver ran down his spine. He had seen that gaze almost thirty years ago from now, it seemed. The gaze made him feel as though he was being X-rayed. He cringed a bit and let go of her arm. "Fine," she said, "But you can't get in our way. Come this way."

They shuffled along behind her, Ginny turning an apprehensive look at the boys who were still sitting at their seats with stunned expressions. Lily stopped suddenly and turned to glare at Scorpius, whose eyes grew wide at her viciousness. "Don't even try it, Scorp. It just won't work."

Lily then walked out of the room and began following paths that seemed very familiar to the older Potters. She started up a spiraling staircase on one end of the whole castle that went up at least seven or eight flights.

Lily knew that Harry would recognize where they were going, seeing as he had followed his way up these stairs for two years at least. The moonlight shone through the large windows that they occasionally passed, and she hadn't realized that the moon was rapidly reaching the highest parts of the sky.

"Why are we going up here, Lily?" Of course her father would be asking her that. He knew this castle almost better than the back of his hand it seemed.

"To meet her."

Her parents exchanged an apprehensive glance. Harry shrugged, and Ginny shook her head in confusion. Lily had always thought it was funny that they could communicate without needing words now, but she continued up the stairs, not wanting to be late, listening to the steps of her parents behind her.

When she finally reached a dead end with only a trap door at the top, a silver ladder emerged and she climbed her way up through the trap door. The sudden scent that assailed her nose gave her a funny feeling and the colors of this room she had never seen before but had seen many times made her eyes want to see something else, tugging on her mind.

"My Inner Eye has met you before."

The misty voice reached her ears along with the sight of a woman emerging from behind bead curtains. The small woman wore a draped shawl and many gaudy bangles and rings. Her thick glasses seemed to magnify her eyes to make her resemble somewhat of a bug.

"Professor Trelawney," Harry said with a bit of surprise. He had known that Lily would take him up here, but he had never truly realized that he would have to face the woman who had so often predicted his death.

Lily smiled, both ignoring her parents. "I saw myself coming to see you."

"I saw the same thing myself, child." They smiled as though they shared some secret. "Come, in child and explain to me what you want." Trelawney waved her over to a familiar tea table and sat across from Lily. The girl barely noticed that her parents sat a table over from them.

"I have come to learn the Art of the Inner Eye," she announced proudly. "I will be a Seer, like you and your family before you."

Trelawney smiled. "But first I must see your skills, my dear child. Some do not possess this power. And even if they do, they do not wish to use it."

Lily wordlessly held out her hand, expecting something. She didn't feel quite in control of her own motions. Her eyes fell to the thin hand that Trelawney had offered her. The lines that graced the upturned palm of her hand seemed to make perfect sense as she traced them with a gentle finger.

"You are one who has been worth more than many know. You will still be just as great. You tell many of their doom and help them to avoid it. You may be aged with years, but much still lies ahead of you, and happiness will be at your doorstep for all of your past suffering. You have an excellent life ahead of you." Lily smiled at the old woman with a bit of self-satisfaction.

Trelawney returned the smile before she took the hand underneath hers, tracing the lines of Lily's palms. She frowned, though, and tutted to herself. Lily heard a sigh and glared at her father who was rolling his eyes. "My poor dear," the woman muttered airily. "Your life will be nowhere near as pleasurable as mine. You are already facing hardships and will be for year to come." She pointed out a line cutting through the middle of her palm. "There, do you see that? It means your life shall be shrouded with darkness. But do not despair, my child, for you see that line? Yes, that one right there. It's almost like a broken line, interrupted by other lines. That one is your love. A jagged line, it means that it shall not be an easy one, but I see that in the end, both of you will be much stronger for it. Death will see you, and you shall not be a stranger to close encounters with him. But, dear girl, never give up hope. Do you see that line down towards your wrist? It reaches almost to the middle of your palm. It means victory. There will be some victory for you, dear. Remember that."

Lily nodded. "I have known somewhat of my future for many days. I know it shall not be peaceful, and I shall accept that."

Professor Trelawney nodded her approval before she stood up and disappeared behind her beaded curtains. When she reappeared, she was carrying a large crystal ball. She set it on a pedestal in front of Lily, who watched as it filled with something like a purple-grey cloud of smoke. "Tell me what you see, Miss Potter."

Her eyes were already glued to the orb. Something seemed to emerge from the mist, or perhaps the mist formed whatever she saw, but she saw something. "We are here. At Hogwarts. It is another battle, much larger than the first. She is there. With another, a much younger girl. There is fire, and death." Something snapped inside her. "I smell blood. It's everywhere, but I can only concentrate on her. I don't look around me; I don't want to see who's dead. Someone is screaming, but I don't want to hear it, because I'm not sure if I'm the one that's doing it."

Professor Trelawney whisked the crystal ball off of its stand. Lily blinked and felt woozy. She swayed a bit in her seat until her father came over and put a hand on her shoulder to ensure that she didn't fall out of her seat. Trelawney looked a bit shocked, both of them stunned out of that funny place where the future appeared to be the present.

When she spoke, Trelawney's voice had lost much of its misty sound. "You are a much more talented Seer than I had expected, child. Watch yourself, for this is a dangerous art to fall into. Let yourself recover every now and again, so that you don't fall to even worse danger."

Lily nodded, her eyes wide now with fright. She couldn't remember most of what had just happened in the past hour that she had been awake. Everything was fuzzy in her mind, and she felt terribly exhausted.

"I will see you on Tuesday evenings after dinner," the teacher said. "I must rest now."

With that, she left and hid herself behind her beaded curtains. Ginny stood up and was whispering to Harry, but Lily couldn't concentrate on the words. Eventually Harry just picked Lily up in his arms, letting her head rest against his chest as he started his way down the stairs. "You're a good girl, Lily. You're special; you're mum and I always knew that."

Lily struggled in his arms with clarity. She grabbed his shirt with her fingers and nails. "Daddy," she addressed, her voice small like a child's. "Daddy, don't let me fall asleep. I don't want to see anyone die."

Harry's emerald eyes looked into the exact same, almond-shaped pair of eyes, the fear very prominent there. He kissed her loose auburn hair and said, "I won't let you fall asleep, Lily. You won't have nightmares tonight."

She smiled, and before any of them knew it, she had fallen into a peaceful, needed sleep.

**Augh! The end! I hate it when chapters end because it means that I have to stop writing and you have to stop reading! So here is a fairly long chapter for you (almost 5,000 words!) Please, please, please review! Tell me what you think is going to happen! I love it when I hear theories!**


	12. Exploration Day!

**Another chapter! They always make my days so much better! Lol this week has been extremely chaotic at school, but I love writing this and always make room for it. Thanks for everyone who reviewed because I've gotten ten from like the last three chapters! So, I've looked back at my first few chapters and such and I kinda realized how not-so-great they were, plus, I had like three tons of mistakes that I made without realizing it, but I guess that's only to be expected a bit, so sorry if I ever confused anyone! So I think I've jabbered enough, without further ado, I present to you chapter 12 (!).**

Chapter 12: Exploration Day!

Lily grew quite happy once she had realized what it was that made her so weird. She couldn't be more relieved that she wasn't crazy, she was just seeing things. Duh. Of course, Wilkinson didn't like that expression (apparently some crazy people _do_ see thing.) and Professor Trelawney came to the Headmistress's office herself just to explain it to her.

While her parents and teachers were occupied in talking, Lily found herself loitering around the two paintings of Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape. Both of them were smirking, which was very unlike Professor Snape, and she found herself quickly irritated. "Why are you giving me that look?" she snapped, unable to keep her cool anymore.

"I'd never thought I'd live to find a Seer that wasn't absolutely crazy," Snape chuckled, poking lightly at her for fun. Dumbledore chuckled with him as well.

"Well, you didn't," she snapped rudely… can you really be rude to paintings? "You're dead, remember? You're only a painting." If it was possible, she must have gone to the limit of offensive things to say.

They both only chuckled more, as though sharing some secret. Secret. Like the Secret Good Luck Charm of Scorpius. Merlin, she simply _had_ to know who it was. She looked around her, like she had when she was about to steal the cookie jar as a child. She faced the wall, and her eyes went blank. She blinked, and the distance had disappeared.

"You shouldn't do that," Dumbledore advised her. "Sometimes, you may not want to know the future."

She glared at him angrily, being unable to see Scorpius introducing his secret girl to her. She knew she wasn't supposed to. Trelawney had warned her about that. She only did it rarely. Excuse her inquisitive nature of having to know as much as she could.

OoOxXxOoO

At dinner that evening, she managed to sit with her Ravenclaw friends, and chatted with them about what had happened to her at the Quidditch Game. For some reason, she was unable to tell them just exactly why she had almost fallen off her broom, or why this was the first time in a month that she'd sat with them.

James and Albus Potter found themselves discussing her condition with a certain Scorpius Malfoy, as Lily seemed perfectly fine. Key word: _seemed_. If there was one thing that the sons of enemies could agree on was the girl only a table over with her back to them. All three were concerned about her and her safety, watching her like hawks, and the common goal at least made them civil to each other.

"There. You see that?" Scorpius pointed to her discreetly. He was leaning over the table after finishing his meal, talking to them quietly. Lily had gone rigid and still. "She's dipping into her… talent again. She gets all still and her eyes go blank and it's really creepy."

Before he had even finished speaking, she unfroze and her laughter was barely heard over the Gryffindor chatter. Lizzy and Kayla on either side of her laughed, too. Albus gave the Slytherin a skeptical look. "Are you sure? How do you even know?"

"Because I watched her do it twice today during Quidditch practice," he stubbornly explained to Al. "Except she holds it longer there. She knows what she's doing, even though she's not supposed to do that. It's infuriating."

"Well, we can't just let her keep doing it, can we?" James asked, his eyes trying to burn a hole through her back almost. "Besides, everyone says that Trelawney couldn't consciously make a true prediction if it hit her in the face. How is Lily controlling it?"

The younger boys shrugged. "We could always ask her…?" Albus frowned.

Scorpius shook his head and straightened up. "She hates it, but just shake her out of it a little and tell her not to do it again, I guess. That's what I did the second time it happened today and she looked ready to plot my murder. I've got to go; Julian's giving me a funny look."

He walked away, leaving the two boys to watch their sister. "Should we tell Dad?" Albus asked.

James hesitated for a moment. Then he shook his head as she laughed again. "She's just figured out that she's not crazy and that she's not going to be sent to St. Mungo's for mental problems. Lily doesn't need to be chewed out the day right after Mum and Dad left."

XxXoOoXxX

Scorpius knocked Lily off course and sent her and her broom spiraling away before she could regain control and speed right back to where he was, trying to get the snitch before he could. Every day after classes, they would meet up at the Quidditch pitch for a 'rematch'. Scorpius lost to Lily absolutely every game they played, but he insisted that he was going to win one of these days, even if he had to keep practicing until Seventh year. Since it was Sunday, the pitch was free, so they had been playing since early morning. But the sun was already high in the sky and the cool air was rather distracting.

Winter had come and was now rapidly disappearing. Quidditch had been played like normal, and Gryffindor was on their way to winning the Quidditch cup and the House cup. Most of the snow had melted, leaving the grass and the rest of the outdoors dripping wet.

Lily and Scorpius stretched out their hands, his reaching a centimeter further. The gold snitch fluttered around and suddenly changed directions, speeding downwards. They both fell into a dive, spiraling around each other to get a better angle at the snitch. Lily pressed herself as flat against her broom as she could, trying to go just a tad faster at all over him.

Just before they hit the ground, Lily pulled up, with the gold object trying to escape the cage her hands made. "Ha!" she exclaimed. "Why don't you just give up, Scorp? You know you can't beat me!"

` `He glared at her and muttered, "I'm just holding out on you."

She snorted delicately as they landed gracefully on the ground. "Yeah, as if. I must smell something awful. And I'm starving."

The blonde-haired boy looked at his watch and cursed. "Lunch ended an hour ago. Now we don't have anything to eat until dinner! I'm never going to survive that!"

Lily giggled as she pulled some fresh clothes from her bag and started walking towards the girls' showers. "'Course we do! We can just go to the kitchens."

When she returned, her hair now almost a dark brown from how wet it was, Scorpius asked, "What were you talking about?" He ran a hand through his wet blonde hair and straightened his clean shirt.

"I can't believe it!" Lily exclaimed with a laugh. "Where did you think the food from the Great Hall came from?"

He shrugged. "Well, this place is where you learn to do magic, right? Or was I just imagining the Transfiguration classes and the broom-flying?" He smiled at her, his perfect white teeth shining in the sunlight.

She laughed. "Boys," she said to herself, shaking her head. "No, you can't make food with magic. It's some sort of dumb rule that Aunt Hermione told me. It's impossible to remember. No, the house elves make the food. I can't believe you've never been there! I went down there like my first day of school!"

"Well, aren't you quite the explorer?" he asked cheekily, poking her side, making her double over and cross her arms across her stomach. She laughed again, dodging his next attack.

Suddenly, she grabbed his hand and started pulling him towards the school looming above them. "Come on. You've got to have been to more places other than just your classes. I mean, do you only go to the rooms you use at your house?"

"Yes," Scorpius answered seriously. "My house is practically the same size as the castle, Flower. I get lost just walking to the dining room every morning."

Lily actually blushed, turning slightly pink. "I forgot about that. But seriously, where have you been besides your classes?"

"Ummm," his face twisted in concentration. "I've been to the Slytherin common room, my dormitory, the library, and the Great Hall."

She laughed again as he seemed to think it was some accomplishment. At least he could get an award for going to the most visited places at Hogwarts. "Well, there are the kitchens, the prefects' bathroom, the Room of Requirement, someone else's common room, and—oh!" she exclaimed suddenly, stopping and turning on him with excitement. "Do you want to go to Hogsmeade? I haven't been in like a week!"

Scorpius raised an eyebrow at her. "How are we supposed to get to Hogsmeade? The next trip isn't until two weeks from now, and how did you go there last week? And I don't break the rules by going somewhere I shouldn't." He smirked, "It almost sounds like you should follow my advice, Flower."

She rolled her eyes and began pulling him towards the castle again. "You're more like a newbie than a proud fourth year. Today, you shall become an honorary member of the Marauders!"

"The what?"

"Well, it's like a group of the Weasley/Potter kids that like to do stupid things. Technically you can't be a real marauder because it can only be Weasleys or Potters, with the exception of Teddy, but he's my go-brother, so he sort of counts. And you have to be a Gryffindor, which you aren't, and I'm pretty sure that if I asked if you could be one, they'd laugh in my face and shun me as a marauderette."

"Chatty today, are we?" Scorpius noted with another smirk and a chuckle. "But where did you come up with the marauders as your name?"

Lily laughed and after they entered the castle, she pulled him towards the dungeons. "It's what my grandfather and my god-grandfather and Teddy's dad used to call themselves. They were the most infamous students at Hogwarts for their rule-breaking, and if it wasn't for them, I doubt we'd know where half of this stuff was. They were so amazing. And smart, too, very smart. They're notorious for having the most detentions ever. Even Uncles Fred and George couldn't compete with them."

Scorpius laughed to himself, maybe it was the promise of warmer weather in the area, but she usually didn't talk_ this_ much. "Well, then they must have been something if your uncles weren't even as good as them." But he thought he knew why she was so much happier. "So, what did you see?" he asked casually.

Her bright pink blush gave her away as she mumbled, "Wh-what are you talking about?"

He snickered and she sighed, knowing she was caught sneaking looks into the future. Her brothers hated it when she did that, and on the occasions that her parents caught wind of it, the only thing that kept her dad from sending her a boatload of Howlers was that no one could know of her talent except for those that had to. Scorpius was excellent at deciphering when she slipped into the misty world of the future by what he called the vacancy in her eyes.

"I just wanted to check that Jordan wasn't planning a practice for us tonight." She grimaced, waiting for the berating she would get. They just didn't understand that the murky part of her brain was always working overtime and she felt like she had to stretch the muscles sometimes to keep them from cramping up.

His face wrinkled in disgust. They were standing in front of a painting of a bowl of fruit, but he didn't seem to notice as he faced her. "That McLaggen, the captain? He's a prat. I don't like him."

Lily glowered. "Merlin, Scorp, he's a really awesome guy. You would understand that if you weren't always cursing the Gryffindor team and its captain as loudly as you can. He's really cool."

Scorpius made a noise similar to a snort. "Oh, yeah, he's so awesome because he hits on girls that are _four years younger_ than him. That is so gross, Flower. I hate it when he hits on you and your brothers don't do anything about it. I swear the next time he tries to do that again I'm going to punch him into next year."

Lily shifted uncomfortably but met his grey eyes without hesitation. "Muggles do that kind of stuff all the time. Most of those celebrities marry with ten year differences. Four years is not that big of a deal, Scorp."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, the guys marry girls ten years younger for better sex and the women marry guys ten years older than them for the money they'll get when the old coot dies of too amazing sex."

Lily smacked his arm with a scowl. "That is so not true, and you know it! A lot of them do it because they really love each other. Merlin, not everything is about sex." She paused before she said with a smirk. "Oh, right, to fourteen year old boys, the world revolves around sex and getting a girl into his bed. So sorry."

"That is so not true!" he said, both vaguely realizing that their voices were beginning to rise with anger. "And I'm fifteen, prat!"

"Really?" she asked with mock-ignorance. "By your maturity level, I would have assumed that you were two. Just because a boy likes me doesn't mean that you have to hate the guy!"

Suddenly, the fight left Scorpius. He sighed. "Fine, I'm sorry, Flower. You're probably right. It's still unsettling thought that he just has to sneak some disgusting insinuation in at every conversation I'm around you. I swear, he sees you like a piece of meat."

She smiled. Once she had won the fight, she tickled the pear on the picture which swung open to reveal a kitchen bustling with house elves carrying gigantic trays, some having to levitate their load. "Well, I'm always right. But let's fight later, I've spent the last of my calories chewing you out and I am ready to starve."

They entered the kitchen, only to be stopped by a tiny house elf with a pink bow tied around one of her massive ears and a little purple sweater that had been clumsily knitted. "Mistress Potter!" the little female house elf squeaked, pausing in her transportation of the large dishes full of éclairs. "You have come again! Winky has missed Mistress Potter!"

Lily smiled and kneeled down until she was eye level with her. "Hello, Winky. I missed you, too. This is my friend, Scorpius Malfoy. We're terribly hungry, and we hoped that you would find us some food."

Winky nodded. "Of course, Winky wants to please Mistress Potter, but Winky does not know the Master Malfoy. Winky knows what Mistress Potter would like, but what does the Master Malfoy want?" Her big inquisitive eyes the size of tennis balls looked to Scorpius for an answer.

He seemed a bit surprised but said, "Uh—umm, do you by any chance have some pudding? And probably a sandwich too, please." He looked to both of them for approval.

Lily hid her smile but nodded. "Thank you very much, Winky."

The house elf bowed deeply, the trays still perfectly balanced. "Of course, Mistress Potter and Master Malfoy. Winky will personally bring the Master's and Mistress's food at once." Then she raced away, navigating smoothly between all of the other house elves.

"You act as though you've never even seen a house elf before," commented Lily as she stood up and brushed off her clothes. "Don't tell me that Malfoy Manor, the grandest mansion in Great Britain, has no House elves."

He chuckled, more at ease once Winky was gone. "We have tons of them. Father only wanted to keep the ones that we needed, but they begged him not to make them leave. He gave them all their freedom, but they refuse to leave. Mother just has them keeping the dust from building up most of the time. With just the three of us, there's not much need for them."

She smiled and sat down at a nearby, vacant table, Scorpius following suit. "Yes, we have one house elf; I love him to pieces. I wanted to play dress up with him when I was six." Lily smiled at the thought of the wrinkled old house elf smothered in the frilly pink scarf and fairy wings. "Technically, since I gave Kreacher clothes, he was allowed to leave, but he didn't want to. He loves my dad to death because my dad gave him a locket from his former master."

Scorpius chuckled. Then Winky materialized out of the chaos of the kitchen and set a huge platter in between the pair. "Winky brought the mistress and master what they asked for! Does Mistress Lily or Master Malfoy need anything else?"

Lily shook her head but suddenly said, "Winky, I think you might be familiar with Scorpius!" He looked at her like she was crazy and Winky turned on the red-head with big, reverent eyes. "See, Winky, Scorpius's father knew Dobby!"

Winky gasped like women who had heard the most astonishing gossip ever. She turned on the extremely confused boy with tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "Oh, Dobby! Dobby was ever so kind to Winky! Dobby always helped Winky, especially when she needed it! Oh, Dobby!" She wailed and then began to cry.

"Oh, there, there," Lily said, rushing to comfort the little elf. "Dobby was one of the best house elves I've even heard of. He was so brave and amazing."

Winky sniffled and nodded. "Winky knows that. Winky must leave Mistress Potter and Master Malfoy and clean herself up, so that Winky looks presentable."

As she made to move away, Lily sternly said, "Winky, please stay away from the butterbeer, and don't hurt yourself. Understand?"

Winky nodded and sniffled again before she left. When Lily returned to her seat and began pulling a sandwich towards her, Scorpius asked her, "Who the hell is Dobby?"

She smiled knowingly. "Dobby used to be the house elf of your family, Mr. Malfoy." She giggled. "My father tricked your grandfather into letting him go when he was twelve. When my father was imprisoned in your home in the war, Dobby came and saved everyone, including my auntie and uncle and the old Mr. Ollivander and a goblin that were captives of Voldemort."

"Ahh, of course," Scorpius nodded, leaning back in his chair, now working on his chocolate pudding after inhaling two sandwiches. "It always has something to do with my family's awful past."

"Oh, Merlin, no, Scorp!" she said blushing a bright red. She was so thick! Couldn't she have been sensitive? "No, your family is full of good, too!"

He snorted. "I bet you can't name a thing good that we've done."

"Your grandmother lied about my father being dead," Lily answered instantly, without the slightest hesitation. "If it wasn't for her, my father would have really died and Voldemort would have enslaved everyone! And your father helped mine find all the Death Eaters and send them to Azkaban. We could still be living in fear of raids if it wasn't for him! And all the charities your family has done over the years! You don't give yourself enough credit, Scorp."

Scorpius tried to hide how amazed he was about her extensive knowledge of his family. He chuckled. "You know more about my family than I do! Perhaps you know more about your dad than he does!"

She blushed a pale pink and lowered her gaze at the compliment. "I just love hearing about it. Sometimes I wish I could be as amazing as my dad, but that's impossible. He defeated the greatest Dark Lord there ever was and ever will be. I can't compare to him…"

Scorpius stiffened, thinking of her black eyes as she had lain in the hospital bed._ One darker than He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named comes…._ He shook his head, clearing the thoughts away. "Yeah," he mumbled quietly.

"Are you done?" Lily asked obliviously, peering at his empty pudding bowl. "I want to show you some of the other places."

"Yeah," he said, plastering a smile on his face to keep her from worrying. She didn't know about that prophecy and she didn't need to. He stood up, helping her up by offering his hand. "Although, what if we get in trouble?"

Lily laughed right in his face at the worry. "We won't get caught. I don't have the map or the cloak, but we can manage. First we'll see the prefects' bathroom, and then we'll go to my common room and get the stuff to go to Hogsmeade. We'll visit the Room of Requirement and then go get some butterbeer to celebrate your honorary status as a marauder!"

He smiled but said, "How do you know how to get to all of these places?"

She led him out of the kitchens, waving at all the house elves, pulling him by the wrist almost like her was a dog on a leash. "Well, I'm not a Potter for nothing, thank you. Dad told us about these places but he wouldn't tell us how to get to them. Until James stole the map off of his desk."

"What map?"

"As a marauder, anyone is allowed to use the Marauder's Map; it was made by the original marauders themselves. It shows a whole map of the school and where everyone is at every point in time. It's quite helpful when avoiding Filch."

She tugged him along until they got to the Prefects' bathroom. She said the password that James had told her, and they entered. The room was taken mostly by a gigantic bathtub in the middle of the room with various spouts that would give off hot and cold water, pink or yellow bubbles. Above it was a painting of a mermaid, brushing out her long, blonde hair.

Scorpius looked around with wonder, but the mermaid hissed at them to leave, or else she would tell the next prefect or head that walked through her doors. Lily gave her a very rude hand gesture and a few colorful curses, but they were forced to leave.

Next, Lily toted Scorpius all the way up to the painting of the Fat Lady. The painting rolled her eyes. "Seriously, I've told you Potters a thousand times over that this is a place for Gryffindors! Not all their little friends, too!"

"Honeydukes," Lily said, interrupting her with the password. The Fat Lady grumbled but allowed them both in. Ignoring the stares the she and Scorpius were receiving, she raced up the stairs to the boys' dormitories. She flew to the one labeled with a five and opened the door.

Lily staggered backwards into Scorpius with her hand over her mouth and nose. "Oh, Merlin," she moaned. The room was a disaster. Old butterbeer bottles were strewn across the floor along with Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans that were collecting at least ten different kinds of mold. Socks, boxers, any clothing article you could imagine covered the floor in massive mountains. The only things that looked relatively clean were the beds and the trunks which were practically empty. "That is so gross on so many levels."

She ventured into the room, using her hand as a feeble gas mask, gagging at the awful smell. Scorpius remained pressed against the wall, his hand over his nose. She went over to the nastiest bed which was James's of course, and knelt down on the ground, looking under the bed. Behind a mouldy pizza box (where would they have even gotten pizza?) was a familiar, small box that still looked fairly neat.

She pulled it out and opened the cardboard box. Inside was a ratty old piece of parchment and a soft, silvery cloak. She pulled them out and shoved the box back under the bed with her foot. She raced out of the room, slamming the door behind her, gasping in the clean air, not tainted with toxic fumes.

The pair erupted into fits of giggles and chuckles. "Merlin, that is so gross," Lily said, still giggling.

"I'm amazed that the nuclear bomb they call a room hasn't blasted away the Gryffindor Tower." Scorpius laughed again. Both of them found themselves clutching their sides and wiping away tears.

"Come on," Lily said, "we still have to see the Room of Requirement." She led him right back out of the common room, seeing as there were too many suspicious faces lingering there for him to get a good look at the place.

She led him through weaving corridors until she randomly stopped in front of a blank wall. "What room would you most like to see right now?" she asked him, a smile at her lips.

He thought for a moment. "My room. Back at the mansion. Why?"

She smiled and stepped to one side of the corridor. "Pace back and forth three times in front of this spot and think about how you require, you need that room."

He nodded, obviously confused, but did as she said, looking at her every time he passed. Lily had to stop him when a large, dark colored door appeared out of nowhere. He looked at it with surprise. She nodded to the doorknob. "Go ahead. Open it."

He looked at her, seeming as though he was checking that she was still there. Scorpius took a deep breath, his hand on the doorknob, before he twisted it and lightly pushed in on the door. They both gasped when they saw what was behind the door. A large king-sized mahogany bed was on one side of the room, and silver and green decorated the walls in swirling patterns. The clothes in the closet were neatly hung and the large window across from the bed looked out onto the Quidditch pitch, far in the distance.

"Wow," Lily managed, trying to keep her mouth from hanging open. "This is your room? Back at your own house?" When he nodded cautiously, she laughed and skipped around the enormous room. She picked up every object she saw and examined it until Scorpius explained to her what they were. She stopped at his dresser, looking at a familiar, wooden box with surprise. "Aww!" she cooed teasingly. "Little Scorpi has his own jewelry box!"

"Ha-ha," he answered humorlessly, walking to her side and gently taking the box off of its perch. "This was some of my grandmother's jewelry. She still has plenty, but she claims that she hasn't worn it since she went to Hogwarts, years and years ago."

"But why is it in here?" she asked with confusion, watching carefully as his fingers ran over the engraved surface of the unopened box. She had one at home that was much less beautiful and it was mostly filled with the plastic beads she wore as a little girl. "This is your room, not hers."

Scorpius shrugged. "She was going to just throw the necklaces and bracelets and earrings away. I remember that I had admired them when I was very little because they were so sparkly." As Lily stifled another giggle, he said, "Go ahead and laugh it up. I just thought that they would be wasted if she did that, so I took them off her hands."

Lily gently took the box from his pale hands and undid the clasp. She gasped. "Scorp, these are so beautiful!" The glittering objects nestled into the velvet lining of the box shimmered up at her, her eyes shimmering back with happiness. Scorpius led her over to the bed and they sat down as she poured over each piece of jewelry.

Lily delicately removed each item and ohhed and ahhhed over each one. Diamonds sparkled on almost every one of them with the exception of rubies and sapphires. Scorpius explained to her that many were goblin-made and unique; it wasn't something you could just walk into JCPenny's and find on the clearance rack.

Scorpius chuckled to himself over her fascination. _Girls_, he thought to himself, _they fall for anything that sparkles and looks pretty._ "You can keep one if you want," he told her. "It's not like I'm going to be wearing a matching set to the next Ministry Ball."

Lily didn't laugh but gazed at him with astonishment. "Oh, no, I couldn't take these! Do you realize how precious they are? Give them to your girlfriend or something," she mumbled and began cautiously replacing the jewelry.

Scorpius stiffened at her words. Did she already know? Did she know what he wanted to tell her? Alicia didn't spoil it, did she? Girls would override a promise for what Alicia claimed was the 'Girl Code.' She didn't do it this time, did she? Next time, he decided that he was going to make sure that she was under an Unbreakable Vow. He subtly shook his head.

Lily had replaced all of the items in the box and stood up to replace it on the shelf. She could tell that something had changed when they looked over the jewelry, but she wasn't sure what. She didn't really meet his eye as she said, "Are you ready to go to Hogsmeade?"

He stood up. "Sure, let's get out of here."

Lily pulled out the cloak and her map. She gingerly motioned for him to get under the cloak, and after he had disappeared, she followed after him, both hunched in a slightly uncomfortable stance. With her wand, Lily pointed at the map and whispered, "_I solemnly swear that I am up to no good._"

As the ink spilled across the page, becoming rooms and pacing people, Scorpius watched in amazement. "How could someone have accomplished such a thing?"

She smiled at his surprise. "My grandfather was tied for the top of his class with my grandmother. It isn't surprising, really, considering how talented he and his friends were. Ready to go? You have to stay close to me if you don't want Filch to see a floating pair of feet."

As they left the Room of Requirement and followed the corridors until they would reach the statue that guarded the pathway to Hogsmeade, Scorpius said, "So this is what you used wasn't it?"

"What are you talking about?" she whispered since they were alone in the hall.

"That night, the first night at Hogwarts. I could've sworn I saw a flash of you for a moment and then you disappeared. You were using this weren't you?"

Lily smiled at the thought of their prank and how she had tripped in the corridor right when Scorpius rounded the corner. "Yeah, my brothers weren't happy about that one. They said I could've gotten all of us in trouble and had Dad's cloak confiscated."

"So that's how all of you guys pull off those stunts," he mused, putting various pieces together.

"Yup," she answered, stopping suddenly and causing him to stumble in to her. "We're here."

She muttered the password to the statue which moved to reveal the staircase downwards. They walked in the dimly lit path, using their wands to guide them, having abandoned the cloak, knowing that no one would find them. When they reached the cellar of Honeydukes, they hid under the cloak and snuck up the stairs. Lily made them walk out into the frigid air to remove the cloak where no one was looking and then walk right back in.

The attendant didn't even care that they were obviously students, letting them browse all of the shelves. Not many were there, and they quickly chose Sugar-Quills and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and licorice wands. They easily sauntered around the little village, only cautious of the teachers that might have decided on a break from the whining kids. They went in to the Three Broomsticks and purchased a small case of butterbeer with only six bottles from Madame Rosemerta who laughed and joked with Lily, familiar with children randomly showing up for butterbeer, especially after a Quidditch game win.

All too soon, the pair decided to go back and hang out in the Room of Requirement again, thinking it was too risky to stay, especially as Scorpius saw Professor Slughorn singing about Firewhiskey. They snuck back and this time, the room became the Gryffindor common room. They curled up on the couch before the warm fire and dared each other to eat the Every Flavor Beans. They laughed and made fun of each other whenever one ate something like broccoli, or, as in Scorpius's case, bug-flavored.

Lily sighed when they had run out of the candy and relaxed back into the couch. "I had a lot of fun today, Scorpius." She smiled as she reviewed the events of what they had deemed 'Exploration Day.'

But he sighed, his heart beating rapidly. "Lily, I have to tell you something. I wouldn't let Alicia tell you because you don't deserve the rumors, only the truth."

Lily got a little nervous and felt herself growing much to warm, from the fire probably. "You can tell me anything, Scorp. Just spit it out, I can handle whatever you throw at me."

He took a deep breath. "I'm going out with Sammy Everston."

_Except that._ Lily shrunk into the couch, letting her mind whirl. Sammy had to be the biggest slut in school. Once Lily had thought that boys rated sluts on a scale of one to Rose, but she was even worse than Rose, making her look like an angel. "O-o-oh," was all she said.

Scorpius looked at her with those melted grey eyes filled with compassion and concern. "I mean, you're like my best girl friend. I want to know that you're okay with this." He leaned towards her, waiting for her response.

She swallowed, her mouth feeling too dry. She didn't know why she was acting like this. Sammy had another boyfriend every week. Surely, this would just go through her system and she'd leave him in no time at all._ But that would hurt Scorp. He would only date her if he liked her._ She moistened her mouth enough so that she could talk, stumbling over her words. "Th-th-that's gr-great S-Scorp." She put on a fake smile. "B-but if she h-hurts you, I-I swear, I-I'll k-kill her."

He chuckled and relaxed back into the sofa, letting Lily breathe freely again. "You're a great friend, Lily. Alicia threw a fit when I told her."

"Yeah," Lily mumbled, hiding behind her hair. After a moment, she stood up, avoiding his eyes that would make her feel warm and safe. They wouldn't work this time, she just knew it. "I-I've g-got some homework I have t-to finish. I-I'll s-see you t-t-tomorrow, Scorp." She didn't wait for his reply. She left, sullenly. She trudged up the stairs to her dorm, refusing to talk to anyone. And although she really wanted to, she didn't let herself cry. She just knew that Scorp would get hurt.

**Dun, dun dun! How much do you want to murder Scorpius right now? Ha-ha. Well, next chapter, you'll get to see another side of Lily that, thankfully, even her brothers didn't realize she had. Only Rose can see her new side clearly. Mwahahaha! Sorry I was late in posting it! Please review and tell me what you would think of a bad-girl Lily! Love ya!**


	13. Jealousy and Crushed Hopes

**So this chapter is rated much more T than the others, so please take caution! Thanks for my reviews and please keep it up! I love it when people review cuz I love to hear what people think of my story! Also, people have been saying that they want Lily and Scorpius to date… well, you'll just have to read to the end of the chapter won't you? Mwahahahaa! **

**Disclaimer: Bleh… I don't own Harry Potter but I can't wait for the movie that's coming out in only a little more than a month! Eep!**

Chapter 13: Jealousy and Crushed Hopes

Lily had told Alicia about what had happened on their Exploration Day as soon as they were alone. It was so stupid. The girl, Sammy Everston, whom they liked to call Slutty Putty, was always falling all over Scorpius and lavishing him with kisses across his face, and sitting in his lap. Merlin, it was so disgusting.

At the breakfast table only a week later, Alicia slammed her fork down on the table after having to listen to Slutty Putty's faked moans as she all out snogged Scorpius. "That's it," she said quietly to Lily who had lost her usual reddish-hue, being replaced with a sick green. "I can't let this keep happening! Merlin, just punch her in the face and get it over with, Flower!"

Lily just shook her head and looked at her plate. Soon though, her eyes traveled wistfully upward to where Scorpius was trying to suck Slutty's face off. "Merlin, that's disgusting," she whispered sadly. She didn't know why she always wanted to strangle the girl until she had no use of her lips anymore, but she was constantly resisting the urge.

He couldn't even bother to listen as the girls talked about how gross it was, being too wrapped up in the slut on his lap. Alicia glared at the sickening couple. She stood up and pulled Lily up by the arm with her. She pulled them towards the stone wall, away from any stray students listening. "Okay," she said quietly, "You just have to show Slutty Putty that she's got competition. Make him notice you."

"But how do I do that?" Lily asked with confusion.

Alicia pointed to Rose Weasley at the Hufflepuff table who flipped her hair over her shoulder before leaning in the table and undoubtedly giving the boy across from her a good look down her shirt. "_That_ is what you are going to do."

"But I'm not a slut and I don't want to be, thank you very much!" Lily protested with disgust. Of course, Rose was now snogging the boy senseless. At least she wasn't as horrible as Slutty Putty, although she was very close to it.

Alicia had a devilish grin. "Don't muggles say that you have to fight fire with fire? That's why you'll fight a slut with slutty-ness."

Lily rolled her eyes and unconsciously pulled her blouse up a bit to cover her chest more. "Slutty-ness isn't even a word, doll. Sorry to break it to you, but I am not doing that."

OoOxXxOoO

Even after what she had said, Lily found herself in the evening, hidden in the Room of Requirement with Rose and Alicia. The room had transformed into what seemed like a gigantic girls' room. A vanity took up a large section of one wall and three beds closer to the center of the room. Makeup filled entire drawers and Lily's school uniform was folded neatly in the one spare drawer.

"I still don't see what good this will prove besides the fact that it will show Scorp that if we ever date, I'll cheat on him with some cute guy." Lily sulked to herself in the corner, her arms crossed over her chest as Alicia and Rose debated which color of nail polish she should wear. "When can I go back to the dorm?"

Rose snickered. "You're not. If you stay here, the girls in your dorm will think it's suspicious that you never came in. Then, rumors will fly around the school that you were in some guy's bed, shagging him when, really, you never did. That's how I do it," she said mater-of-factly. "I've apparently shagged different boys seven times and I'm still a virgin."

Lily choked on the water she was drinking and spit it out, spraying the floor. "What? I _am not_ going to make it look like I had sex! My brothers will go ballistic!"

"You are in quite a situation," Alicia said, comparing two shades of red, "with two older, over-protective brothers that will beat the crap out of any boy that so much as touches you. But it's easily fixed. I doubt they'll tell your dad, especially if I ask Albus."

Lily gagged again, even though there was no water this time. "This is just so wrong. Every one of my friends like Albus and James, but this time, he actually likes you!"

The other girls laughed before attacking Lily's hands with dark red nail polish.

XxXoOoXxX

Lily was up an extra hour early so Rose and Alicia could help her get ready. Rose curled her hair with a charm as Alicia applied massive amounts of makeup, it seemed. Lily carefully slipped into her white blouse and was forced to leave two button undone, showing more of her breasts than she was used to. Her skirt was pulled up until it was four inches above her knees and her robe hid the tiny pin that pulled her shirt back to make it look tighter. Lily looked like a Class A slut. When Alicia asked Lily if she could call her Slutty Putty, She smacked the older girl.

Alicia smiled as they walked down to the Great Hall at her pained expression. "You have to be confident for it to work, Flower. If you don't, you'll just be a self-conscious girl in revealing clothes."

Lily tried to nod, still extremely nervous. "Just bask in the knowledge that every guy is going to fall all over you, and you get to piss off a few girls while you're at it," Rose advised. "That's how I did it for the first few times."

Lily nodded again more confidently and lifted her chin. Today, she would beat Slutty Putty's face in, and she would be ecstatic about it. Rosie and Alicia nodded their approval. The older girls went in before her, Alicia saying that she didn't know why Lily was late and Rosie confirming to everyone that Lily wasn't in her room last night.

After five minutes, Lily walked in with a gleaming smirk. She brushed her red curls out of her face and followed Alicia's voice calling to her. The fourth-year made room for her right between her and Scorpius who looked like he was having a hard time getting oxygen to his brain. Her skirt got hiked up another inch as she sat down. Alicia smirked as Scorpius's grey eyes widened and raked over her body.

Lily leaned towards him. "Hey," she breathed, leaving barely any space between them.

His Adam's apple bobbed, making her grin a little wider. "Umm," he stammered, searching for words. "Wow."

Lily giggled and looked down before she covered her mouth with her hand, flashing off her blood red nails. "You're very articulate today aren't you?"

He swallowed again nervously, obviously getting an eyeful of her pink bra showing through her white shirt. His Hufflepuff girlfriend sat down on the other side of him, shooting glares sharper than daggers at Lily. She had to give Slutty Putty credit, though, for quickly coming to her boyfriend's aid.

Lily smirked, knowing that the girl's nickname was well-deserved although she wasn't in the best position to judge at the moment. She was more grotesquely dressed than Lily, which was quite a feat. Her lacy black bra was showing quite clearly, her shirt unbuttoned enough to see it. Her hair was pulled back into a long ponytail, but her red lipstick brought out the curves of her lips. But this was what Lily had been waiting for, why she had taken the role of a slut for the day. She would get to piss off Slutty Putty and knock some sense back into Scorpius.

"Need to mark our territory, do we?" Lily asked cheekily as the couple murmured their greetings and exchanged a kiss.

Slutty Putty turned to her without surprise and retorted, "I only have to mark my territory around sluts like you. Don't come near my boyfriend."

Lily ran her fingers through a surprised Scorpius's hair to irk her. "But aren't you just like me? Why should I do anything for you?"  
Sammy glared and tried to smack her hand out of his hair, but Lily pulled it out before they could make contact. "I bet you can't even satisfy him," Lily told her coolly.

"I would satisfy him as often as he wanted me to, if he'd let me." Slutty Putty had fallen right in, her face tinted with red from anger. "I really doubt that you're as good as me."

Lily laughed and rolled her eyes. Scorpius was as red as she usually was which she had thought quite impossible. He meekly asked, "Would you two please keep me out of your conversation?"

Both girls ignored him completely, not even bothering to break eye contact to see him. "I bet you can't take him whole," Lily retorted suddenly.

Scorpius, who had taken a drink of pumpkin juice in the vain hopes of blocking them out, spewed the liquid clear across the table onto Julian Zabini who was laughing too hard to care. Alicia spit her scrambled eggs out and it landed on a Slytherin two seats down from her as she chortled uncontrollably. Scorpius looked like he was trying to sink into the ground, his face more crimson than the Gryffindor banner.

"Excuse me?" Slutty Putty asked with slow venom as if daring Lily to confirm her thoughts.

"His penis," Lily said bluntly, almost as if she didn't care, shocking the group around her. She refused to lose her cool in the situation as she said, "I bet you can't suck it in your mouth whole."

Since the floor didn't seem to be opening up a hole and swallowing him any time soon, Scorpius slouched in his seat, refusing to meet the gaze of anyone laughing around him. His new plan seemed to be to escape underneath the table, as childish as it may seem. Slutty Putty narrowed her eyes to slits and said, "I could take him any time I wanted to. You couldn't."

"Prove it," Lily said, crossing her arms, glaring back coolly, reveling in how red her face had gotten.

Sammy rolled her eyes. "You're just a perv that would like to see a good show."

"Well, I could certainly give a better one than you."

A low rumble went through the table as more and more people were starting to pay attention to them. Alicia wasn't eating anymore for fear of choking and thick tears were running down her face with glee. Slutty Putty switched from defense to offense. "How could you? I've certainly laid more guys in this school than you have. I have more practice."

Lily smirked. "You wouldn't have believed how many times I did it with him last night. I just didn't have time to rest."

Scorpius popped right back up. His eyes were wide than saucers and his jaw looked like it might drop off. Suddenly he was furious, with clenched fists at his side. "Who the hell is '_him'_?"

Lily shrugged. "What you don't know won't hurt you." She pushed him to the side slightly to get a better view at Slutty Putty who seemed like she was having a mental breakdown. She smirked again, a little wider this time, knowing that her business was almost finished here. "It felt _soo _good." She closed her eyes and smiled as though remembering the feelings.

Slutty Putty huffed and stood up. She graced Scorpius with another set of kisses before she retreated to her Hufflepuff table with a glare. A few of the Slytherins whooped and cheered. Julian slapped her shoulder and said, "Now this girl would have made one amazing Slytherin!"

Alicia chuckled as Lily picked up her bag from the table. She grabbed the younger girl's hand and pulled her down close to her. "Don't forget," she whispered in Lily's ear. "After classes at four." Lily nodded, glancing over at the seventh year Gryffindor watching her. She gave a flirtatious smile to him before she left the Great Hall.

OoOxXxOoO

Scorpius had never wanted to beat someone in the face more than he had in the morning. Whoever it was, Scorpius wanted to murder the one that had slept with Lily. Unfortunately, he couldn't spend his time hunting down his Flower to annoy her until she told him because he was helping Alicia with her Charms. She was absolutely horrid at the subject and they came to the library every Friday to study.

What irked him most though was that McLaggen was sitting only a table away, and he hated McLaggen and loved to fantasize of punching him in the face. He was using him as a vision of punching Lily's guy when Lily herself walked in.

She clearly saw them, her eyes slid right over their table, but she locked herself on McLaggen and walked right over to him. From his table, Scorpius watched her walk over to him. She slid onto his table and moved right in front of him, her legs dangling into his lap. Her skirt was hitched up ridiculously high, and he involuntarily crumpled the piece of paper in his hand.

"Hey," Alicia said quietly, fearing the wrath of Madame Pince if she spoke above a whisper. "That was my homework." He handed it back to her, straining to hear what Lily was saying in hushed tones.

"So," she started innocently, "I was wondering if you had a date to go to Hogsmeade. I know it's kind of late, but I was hoping that you still… might like to go with me?"

McLaggen nodded so fast, Scorpius thought his head would nod right off. His eyes were glazed over as he looked up her long, pale legs. Oh, Merlin, he was probably staring at her knickers. They wouldn't be that hard to see with her skirt spread wide open in front of his face.

Scorpius felt like punching the boy in the face. Instead, he turned on Alicia who was also watching and hissed, "Why the hell is she doing this?" She was Lily's best friend; if she didn't know, then he was doomed.

Alicia looked back at him with a level gaze. "The same reason you did it to her. I told you that it wasn't a good idea."

His grey eyes widened. "If you told her I swear I'll—"

"I didn't tell her… but she didn't make me promise, so I can tell you." If there was one thing about Alicia, it was that she wouldn't keep a secret, even for her best friend in the whole world, unless they made her promise not to tell.

"What'd she say?" Scorpius asked desperately as Lily continued flirting with the scum that was about to piss himself. "You have to tell me her exact words!"

Alicia pushed him out of her personal space zone and said, "She likes you. More than a lot. You made her jealous, and now she's getting revenge because you made her jealous. Just because it worked with Julian's parents doesn't mean it's fool-proof. I don't know why you listen to that bloke for advice anyways."

"She…Lily said that she fancies me?" Scorpius asked, trying to see how that knowledge worked together in his brain. It was what he had been planning for the entire time, for her to fancy him. But now that he learned what he wanted to know, he wasn't sure that Alicia was lying to him as some part of the game he and Lily were playing.

"Yes," Alicia said, he could sense her exasperation. "So stop whatever you are bloody doing and tell her that you like her. If you walk up to her right now, she'll just drop McLaggen on the floor and snog you sensless. Just tell her."

But Scorpius was already shaking his head. Lily wasn't stuttering around McLaggen like she did when she was lying. She placed a light kiss on his nose, now sitting full in his lap. He muttered something about finding a sturdy bookcase and she giggled. She was happy. "No, she doesn't like me. She wouldn't have done this if she liked me."

"Yes she does!" She exclaimed as quietly as she could without alerting the couple a table over of their conversation. "She totally pissed off your girlfriend not because she doesn't like you, but because she wants you to like her. She's asking McLaggen out because she wants to attempt to show you that she doesn't seem to need you, but she _does_. She does, Scorpius. When you're not around, Lily is freaking out about where you are. When you're snogging Slutty Putty, she's fretting that you're going to get hurt when she finds her next victim. And she barely sees it herself. If you show her that you care, she will, too!"

Scorpius only nodded his head again.

And Alicia lost it. "That's it!" She stood up and threw her stuff into her bag. "I'm not talking to either of you until you both admit this to each other!" She stood up and left, slamming the door behind her. Lily looked up with surprise and hurt at her mate obviously mad at her; too, by the glare she received on the way out.

Flower met Scorpius's eyes with the question burning as loud and clear as though she had asked him aloud. He looked away quickly, ignoring the chance Alicia had given him. He just knew that he would get hurt if he asked Lily out. Her tiny hand was intertwined in McLaggen's hair, and her curls were more than slightly ruffled. Her emerald eyes looked to him for guidance. But she didn't need him; he knew that. He shook his head and pulled out his potion's essay.

A soft smack made him discreetly return his eyes to the other table. McLaggen was kissing her neck in swirling patterns. She groaned involuntarily. When he stopped, she opened her eyes and gave that infuriating smirk that she had been using all day. She toyed with his tie, loosening it. "So I was thinking that we might go to the Three Broomsticks… and then I know of this great place we can get some peace and quiet without freezing our butts off… I thought we might spend a little… quality time… with each other…" McLaggen moved forward to snog her again.

The screech of a chair made Scorpius that he had stood up, pushing the chair back with him, but the screech was cut off by a clatter as it fell backwards from the sudden force. He stalked over to Lily who had stood up as soon as she saw him coming. "Double date," he told her angrily, "You and _that_," he gestured to McLaggen. "And me and Sammy. We meet tomorrow at the Three Broomsticks at ten; don't be late."

"Fine," she said defiantly.

"Fine," he said before scooping up his things and marched out of the door, slamming the door closed behind him. He muttered to himself about showing sluts what he was made of.

"Fine," Lily muttered again to nothing softly.

XxXoOoXxX

Lily tied a dark red ribbon into her ponytail that had golden stripes. Her roommate Stella had awoken early, like almost all of the girls as they squealed over their dates, but agreed to help Lily once again. "I can't believe you're going on a date with Jordan," she said as she picked out eye shadow. "He's four years older than you and everything. And he's so hot."

Lily smiled. "Yep, I can't wait for our date." She ended up wearing a scarlet sweater that was extremely tight with a very low-cut V-neck that her mother made her wear a tank top with. Of course she wasn't wearing the tank top with it, but she wore skinny jeans that revealed every curve of her legs and bum and White fur-lined boots, seeing as it was still fairly chilly.

Stella stepped back and admired the work. "If he doesn't drop dead the moment he sees you, he will when you lean over."

Lily smirked and nodded. "That's exactly what I want."

She and Jordan held hands the whole way there and exchanged a light kiss when they met up. His hand easily swallowed her tiny one, his Quidditch calluses rubbing against her skin. "You know we don't have to go meet that Malfoy and his girlfriend. We could just ditch them." She heard the hopeful note in his voice.

"No," she answered stubbornly, crushing any hopes he had nurtured. "We're going to go meet up with them."

Scorpius and Sammy were already there when they walked in, both on the same side of the cozy booth. Lily and Jordan slipped in the other seat. Most of the greetings were carried out with glares and too-strong handshakes. Four people sharing butterbeers with each other when they really are ready to murder them. How lovely.

Slutty Putty made snide comments that were rather rude, but Lily paid little attention to them, only wanting to irk Scorpius, not bring on another chick fight. When she realized that it was going to get her nowhere, the girl turned to the boy across from her and began flirting with McLaggen who shamelessly returned the flirting. The boyfriend and girlfriend of Sammy and Jordan looked on dully, neither of them really caring. Madame Rosemerta brought them butterbeer after butterbeer as the kids wasted away the day, none of them really wanting to move.

"Hey, Lily?" Lily snapped to attention at the sound of her name after spending twenty minutes trying to determine how many butterbeers it would take for her get drunk. They were less intoxicating than regular wine, but enough of them would give anyone a fuzzy head. Jordan looked at her with his milky brown eyes. Scorpius was swirling his butterbeer around with a straw that he didn't even use, still not paying any attention.

"Yeah?" she asked, wondering if they had asked her some obscure question while she had been in what her father always called Lily Land.

"Will you come with me for a second?" She nodded and they stood up from the booth, leaving their belongings behind. They walked over to a less populated corner, away from the kids chattering about the end of school.

When he turned on her, she wasn't expecting the look she solicited from him. "Lily," he said with a sigh and the sorrowful look. "I—I really like Sammy. And I think she likes me. I mean, you're awesome and everything, but she's amazing."

"She's dating Scorp," Lily said woodenly.

"Not anymore," Jordan answered. Sure enough, when Lily glanced back to their booth, Slutty Putty was in an intense conversation with Scorpius. "We really like each other and we want to… get to know each other better…"

Lily nodded and rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I really don't care, so if you think I'm going to start sobbing, then you can drop dead, McLaggen." They headed back to their bench where Sammy was already picking up her stuff.

Lily slid back into her seat across from Scorpius, and Jordan and Slutty Putty left, generously paying for the numerous butterbeers. Lily took another sip of her drink after their dates left. Her eyes went blank for a moment. The new couple would go to her Uncle George's joke shop and laugh until they cried until they went to find someplace private.

"Stop that." Scorpius's sudden moody snap made her flash back to the present. He had caught the blankness in her stare. "You're not supposed to do that. Just stop it." She crossed her arms without a word. He picked up his jacket. "I'm sick of this place. You wanna go somewhere actually quiet?"

She nodded and followed him out of the door. During one of their other days at Hogsmeade with Alicia and Julian, Lily had convinced them that the Shrieking Shack hadn't been haunted in ages and they snuck into the dilapidated house every time they wanted peace and quiet. It was almost natural as Scorpius and Lily climbed through a large tear in the wire and snuck through one of the smashed windows.

The Shrieking Shack was covered in layers upon layers of dust and most of the furniture was smashed and broken from when Lily's grandfather's friend, Remus Lupin, spent his crazed werewolf days hidden here. Splinters had covered the floor until Lily managed to sweep most of them into the corner along with mountains of dust, but it seemed just as thick s when she first founding. They both sat on a couch after Scorpius muttered a spell to clear the dust. Underneath the grey dust, the fabric of the dust was a faded green.

Lily shivered involuntarily. Scorpius noticed and moved to take off his jacket. "Here, you shouldn't freeze to death."

She pushed it back towards him. "No, I don't need it; I brought my own jacket right—" She reached around for her jacket. "That I left at Madame Rosemerta's…" Scorpius shoved the leather jacket towards her again with a coy smile. She took it gratefully and put it around her shoulders, not bothering to push her arms through the sleeves, seeing as they would be way too big.

"So my girlfriend and your date…" Scorpius said casually, smiling again and stretching his arm against the back of the couch behind Lily. "Who would've thought?"

She nodded and moved closer to him, still cold. It always seemed like this shack was ten degrees colder than outside. He wrapped his arm closer around her. She blushed in response. "Do y-you…." She stopped. "N-never mind…"

He raised a platinum eyebrow. "Do I what?"

She looked right into his eyes, holding his gaze and his every thought. "Why did you date Sammy in the first place?" Lily asked him softly.

He shrugged and dropped his gaze, knowing that he would blurt out whatever she wanted if he had to look at her much longer. Already his heart was thumping painfully. "She seemed…" he sighed and looked at her. "I'm a fifteen-year-old boy, Flower. Do you really think that I liked her for her personality or something?"

Lily flinched, feeling as though he had slapped her. Maybe she would have to keep up the slut act after all, if she ever wanted him to notice her in a romantic light. Did boys only think of what was in their pants? She nodded ruefully.

He grimaced. "Why did you even show interest in McLaggen? I was plotting his death at the table in the Three Broomsticks."

"I d-didn't like him. N-Not a-at all." Oh, why did she have to get all nervous and start stuttering now? She squeezed her eyes shut and mustered her Gryffindor courage. "I-I f-fancy someone e-else."

She swallowed and opened her eyes, barely daring to breath. She couldn't let him walk past her again. She had to do this _now_. He looked at her cautiously. "Wh-who do you fancy then?"

Her single word was incoherent before she ducked her face into his chest, too fearful of his answer to face him. After almost two minutes of agonizing coaxing she showed her emerald eyes again. "Who do you fancy, Flower?" Scorpius asked more steadily this time

"Y-You."

He swallowed shakily although he wished he could have danced around the Shrieking Shack, screaming like a crazy person. "I-I fancy you, too."

The words made her just as happy, if not more. Words spilled out of her mouth. "I didn't realize I fancied you until you started dating Slutty Putty, but then it was so wrong and I was so frustrated. But Alicia helped me come up with a plan and Rose taught me how to be a good slut, and I just wanted to show you that I could be any kind of girl you would want because I fancy you… more than just a little… But now we can be a couple and—"

"Wait." Scorpius lightly pressed a hand against her mouth. He wasn't smiling and didn't look happy at all. He sighed again. "I'm not ready to do anything like this, though." He cut off her muffled protests, probably about the girlfriend that just dumped him. "What are our parents going to say, Flower? They're mad enough that we're only friends. I'm not going to let us ruin our families over something that will be ruined anyways in a few months. I just can't."

As soon as his hand dropped from her mouth, she stood up. She shrugged out of the jacket and threw it on the spot where she had been sitting. "f-fine." Moisture welled up in her eyes, but she hoped it was too dimly lit for Scorpius to see. Lily turned. "I-I've got t-t-to g-go. S-s-see y-you a-at practice."

She ran out of the Shrieking Shack, wiping her eyes on her sweater sleeve as her eyes went half blank for a moment. She veered off to the local owlery to find Alicia. A tear fell in a puddle, causing it to ripple as she sprinted past.

**Whew! Done with half an hour to spare! So sorry about the misleading, but I promise that they get together in the next four or five chapters! Please review I love to hear your criticism! The button below loves you! And wants to give you a cookie! jk**


	14. What Time Holds

**I'm sooo sorry that I haven't had an update for the past two weeks! I was going to last Sunday, but then I realized that I left my notebook at school and didn't have the half of the chapter I had already written! But here is the next chapter! And the next one will be one of my more T rated ones. Please remember to review!**

Chapter 14: What Time Holds

Lily wandered through the chaos, searching for someone she knew. Her brothers and cousins had all deserted her in the common room to find good seats before they were all taken; even Hugo, her closest cousin since before Hogwarts, had left her to find his Ravenclaw girlfriend—yeah, she was still in disbelief that it was true even though she had met the pixie-like girl.

Someone suddenly grabbed her hand and began pulling her through the crowd. She caught a glance of the familiar face and smiled. Alicia dragged her through the masses of people swarming onto the train, navigating the way to the scarlet train that blew its whistle. "Hurry up an' get yerself on th' train! Can't have any of yeh here all summer!"

"Wait," Lily yelled over the various screams and loud conversations to her best mate.

Alicia noticed her distraction and let go of her arm, nodding. "Hurry, though. I'll save you a seat in our compartment!" She was seemingly swallowed by the monstrosity of people, but Lily turned to the voice that bellowed across the flurry, ringing in the ears of every student. She launched herself right into his beefy arms when she found Hagrid, telling the children to get on the train.

Even though he seemed like he was trying to suffocate her, she managed to choke out, "I'll miss you, Hagrid."

"Miss you, too, Sweetheart," the half-giant said with a large sniffle, finally loosening his grip on her to let her breath. "Me an' Olympe might came an' visit at the Burrow this summer. Molly's been pesterin' us to come fer dinner sometime soon."

Lily nodded, knowing that Madame Maxime had been the old headmistress of Beaubaxtons, a French, all-girls school that Auntie Fleur had attended. The couple had been together since Lily's dad was fourteen. "You know everyone would love that."

He smiled and said, "Well, ev'ryone's clearin' off. Yeh'd best get on tha' train 'fore it leaves without yeh."

She grimaced and nodded before she hugged him one last time, taking in his smell of Magical creatures. Sometimes it wasn't the most pleasant scent, but she would miss it, just like the rest of Hogwarts. Another whistle of the train just about made her go deaf, and she ran to the first place to jump on the train as it began to slowly inch forward. She leaned out of the little doorway and waved to Hagrid as his form began shrinking with distance. "I'm sorry about the unicorns, Hagrid!"

His black eyes, almost hidden by his mangy beard with silver streaks, widened and he ran forward a few steps after the train. "Lily Luna Potter! What did yeh do to mah unicorns?"

She just giggled and waved. "Bye, Hagrid!"

"Hey," a very familiar voice said from the inside of the train. "I finally found you."

Lily turned, her long braid of auburn hair whipping around behind her. Scorpius was leaning against the side of the train, his arms crossed across his chest and looking very handsome in muggle jeans and a grey T-shirt. She blushed as her heart pounded and butterflies upset her stomach. "Oh, hey," she managed as casually as she could.

"I was looking all over for you; I was worried that you missed the train." He smiled nervously and pushed his white-blonde hair out of his eyes with a pale hand.

Merlin, things were so awkward between them now. For the past three weeks, Lily and Scorpius stuttered, blushed, and unsuccessfully stumbled through their conversations, avoiding each others' eyes, especially when they were alone.

Alicia still harbored some fury towards him, and had been ready to bash his head in. She ranted and raved for almost an hour in Weasley Wizard Wheezes, where Lily had come to her crying and in desperate need of comfort. Fred, who had graduated the year before and spent his time managing his father's store in Hogsmeade, almost had to forcibly remove her from the store.

And, of course, since Freddy was involved, so was every other Weasley and Potter Lily had the misfortune to be related to. Molly, Lucy, Fred, Roxanne, Dominique, Louis, Rose, Hugo, James, Albus, and even Teddy who had come to Hogsmeade as a surprise for his younger god-siblings, were all at her side, demanding to know whose murder they would be plotting. When she saw the neon green hair that could only be possessed by Teddy, Lily flew into his already-open arms, sobbing.

He didn't bother her like the others. In fact, he sent them all away, excluding the still-furious Alicia (perhaps he was just worried that she'd murder Scorpius if left too her own devices), and they wandered into Madame Rosemerta's where they would wait for them. Alicia calmed down only enough to explain what happened to Teddy who frowned and comforted Lily. Once she had finally pulled herself together, they joined the others at the Three Broomsticks with a round of butterbeer and floods of questions. Lily hated to, but she lied and told them that she was just upset that McLaggen had left her for Scorpius's girlfriend. Like they really believed it. But a few were eager to punch him in the face, but she only half-heartedly asked them not to.

No one but Teddy and Alicia could know what happened in the Shrieking Shack, for fear that Scorpius and Lily could no longer be friends. If anyone got wind that he had been the one to upset her, she wouldn't have a best mate anymore; her father would personally take care of that.

But now, maybe they would have been better off if they had fought and not been friends. They slowly and silently made their way down the train, keeping an eye out for their compartment that Julian and Alicia had already claimed. Two people were hanging out of their compartment, watching the pair. "Hey, Lils," one of the girls said. She recognized the petite girl and her companion.

"Hey, Kayla! Lizzy! I haven't seen either of you in ages!" she gushed with a smile stretching across her face. She was secretly happy that a distraction was here, but jealous that they had taken her away from Scorpius's undivided attention.

They both glanced warily at the grey-eyed boy. Lizzy asked, "Hey, Lils, can we talk… in here please?"

He took the hint and nodded, stuffing his hands in his jean pockets. "Um, we'll be in our usual place, Flower, just down a few compartments. I'll leave you three to your girlie devices."

When he cracked a grin, his grey eyes dancing, teasing her, Lily lightly smacked his arm. "Oh, just go tell Alicia not to freak when I don't come back with you, you prat." He chuckled and slinked away, her eyes following him the entire time. She followed her friends into their compartment and sat down on one of the seats. Lizzy and Kayla sat across from her, exchanging steadily-growing angry looks that Lily had seen a million times before. They were fighting silently over who had to tell her whatever bad news they had.

"Are you two going to fight forever or tell me who died?" she asked impatiently after it went on for a couple of minutes.

"well, Lily," Kayla started, obviously going to be very delicate with words so she didn't hurt her feelings.

Lizzy interrupted blandly. "You just don't hang out with us anymore. You completely ditched us for the Slytherins. Seriously, when was the last time, we had an in-depth conversation?"

Lily blushed, her emerald eyes falling to her hands, twisting and fidgeting in her lap. "I know I haven't been a very good friend this year, but—"

"But we've always known that since we didn't get sorted into the same houses, we couldn't be very good friends." Kayla's voice sounded burdened with the weight of the sadness.

"We've just agreed that since we're not really mates anymore, we should just make it official…" Lizzy trailed off, unable to think of anything else to say.

"Official?" Lily asked quietly, feeling vulnerable to the word. She should have seen this coming. She just should have known that sooner or later, the girls would've had to face each other with this painful topic. They had become friends on the train on their first trip to Hogwarts, so maybe it was only appropriate that everything end on the train. But Lily had known that Lizzy and Kayla shared a stronger bond with each other rather than her because they shared dorms. In reality, they had never really needed her; she just sort of tagged along with them. But Lily had needed them. Until she met Scorpius. She made one last attempt in honor of their past friendship. "Really, I could do better. I know I've been such a crappy friend, but I can fix this."

"And just what are you going to do?" the ever-practical Lizzy asked, "Tear yourself apart trying to share your time between us and the Slytherins? Not to mention that your brothers and cousins _demand_ attention."

Lily didn't answer; she couldn't. She was angry at herself, angry that they were right. What kind of person dumped her friends without a moment's notice? Instead Kayla said, "Things had been heading this way for a while now. We've just drifted apart, and there's really no use in pretending anymore."

She nodded. "I-I guess you're both right. Doesn't mean I have to like it though," Lily grinned shyly. "So… acquaintances then?"

The other girls nodded, and they all awkwardly shook hands. Lily excused herself with a quiet smile. As she shut the door behind her, she realized that the passageway was eerily quiet. No one, not even the old woman that sold sweets from the trolley, was wandering the cramped hallway. Since every door was closed, the only sounds were the muffled sounds of Exploding Snap a few compartments behind her. Lily searched right and left for her friends, cursing herself for not remembering which door Scorpius had escaped through. Adrenaline pumped through her system as her heart pounded quite loudly. A part of her mind told her that she needed to get out of this passageway. _Now._

Too late.

"Poor Lily, even her best friends don't like her anymore."

Lily froze. Mortellea had made only feeble attempts to hurt her since that first Quidditch match, only to frighten her, remind her that the woman was never gone. As if Lily needed a reminder. She could look at her arms, still covered in unrecognizable silver-white runes for scars. But the voice was stronger this time, almost like the radio waves coming through the radio more clearly. Lily shivered; an unearthly cold trapped the passageway as time around her seemed to freeze.

There was no point in running; it was all in her mind anyways. So she calmly sat down in the middle of the passageway. She closed her eyes and began to meditate. As crazy and bogus as it had seemed at first, it was the best defense Professor Trelawney had given her against Mortellea. As Lily searched within her mind, she had the oddest feeling of falling as she discovered a familiar part of her mind where she wasn't quite in control of her own actions. It was the depths of her mind where she saw visions and she had never tried to immerse herself so deeply in this part of her mind, but she hoped it would help her hide.

A chuckle echoed from her dreams of Christmas. "You can't hide from me." Whether Lily did it mentally or out loud, she was aware of a few curses being formed on her lips. "Even of you fight so valiantly against me," the sickly sweet voice taunted.

Lily struggled to clearly see the new book her Aunt Hermione would get her in the coming December, but instead, she found herself looking as Mortellea lounged in an overstuffed armchair. Her black eyes glinted dangerously.

Lily couldn't help but shudder at the blood on her hands, making the evil woman smile dangerously. "Who did I kill this time, Little Lily? They certainly do have such a lovely home, though." She gagged; the stench of blood overpowered her from the hallway behind Mortellea's chair. As though reading her mind, the lounging woman smirked, saying, "Why don't you go see who it is? You might know them."

Her feet shuffled across the ornate rug in between Mortellea and the dying embers of what was once a roaring fire. Lily fished her wand out of the waistband of her shorts, thankful for the cool feeling of the gnarled wood in her hand. She watched Mortellea carefully for any sign that she would move to make her like the people in the hallway. When she rounded the corner of the hallway, she could clearly see the mangled bodies. A family.

The woman's eyes were glazed over, but fixated on one point. Her arms reached the same direction as her gaze to what was a bloody lump on the floor. She was obviously young, probably in her mid-twenties but cuts marred her body, blood pooling around her. The man, her husband, by the gold that glinted beneath dried blood on his finger, was in pieces around her. Literally. Pieces of him were strewn in various places around the scene. It seemed like someone had taken a chainsaw to his limbs. Lily turned back to the little lump, trying to make a connection of what it was. The most discernable thing was a tiny little finger poking off of one of the smaller lumps clumped with the main lump. Lily gasped.

A boiling rage filled every fiber of her being. It was just a muggle baby, now practically unrecognizable! A poor defenseless baby! Her face must have gone red from the heat; she felt like she was on fire as she stumbled back to the sitting room. She didn't hesitate when she pointed her wand towards Mortellea, trying to think of any curse or hex that would make her see the pain she had caused the family to endure. She could think of only one. "It was a baby!" she screamed, "A defenseless baby! What could it have done to you?"

The woman with hair as black as the sins she had committed was obviously surprised by the anger that pumped through Lily's veins like extra adrenaline, surprised that the girl wasn't afraid. Mortellea stood up slowly, still in control of her cool demeanor. "And what will Little Lily do about it? How can one, thirteen-year-old girl possibly hurt me, a master of the Dark Arts?" She laughed, and the scent of chocolate wafted to Lily. Ever since the first time she had smelled it on the woman, she had vehemently turned down anything chocolate. She lazily pulled out her own wand, taking her own sweet time with it.

The boiling rage in Lily caused her vision to turn red as she tasted blood in her mouth. She allowed her mind and body to surrender to the rage, screaming, "_Crucio!"_

Mortellea's face twisted in pain, although the curse obviously wasn't very strong. Lily realized that she was crying, a few hot tears dripping down her heated cheeks. The woman staggered backwards, towards the fire before she regained her balance and straightened up. She pointed her wand at Lily despite the Unforgivable Curse that Lily refused to release. "You can lie on the floor with the dead muggles, girl. Just know this; I don't take kindly to mudbloods."

But Lily intensified the curse, letting every feeling of hate she had ever harbored towards anyone flow through her wand; she _wanted _to see the woman try to grasp relief in her hands but be unable to find it. "You killed _innocents_! I'll kill you for what you did to them!"

Somewhere, she heard a distant scream, and the glass doors of the train compartments shattered into practically dust. Girls shrieked, and everyone rushed to the doors to cautiously peer out and see who had caused the commotion, gingerly stepping over glass shards. Lily had been sitting on the floor with her arms wrapped tightly around her knees, her wand still tucked in the waistband of her shorts, and she looked back at the bystanders with big, curious green eyes.

Hugo, Rose, and her brothers rushed out of one compartment just a few doors down, their feet crunching on the glass like it didn't matter. Lily felt the train shudder to a stop and mentally cursed. Fantastic. Hugo got down on his knees beside her. "Lily, what happened? Are you okay?"

Scorpius, Alicia, and Julian appeared from a compartment farther down in the train. No one else dared to approach her. As they crowded around her, Lily noticed that Scorpius's hands were bleeding; he must have been too close to the glass when it shattered. "Lily, the glass shattered through the whole train. What happened?"

Lily swallowed shakily. "I-I got m-mad. _R-really_ mad. A-a-and I-I think I lost c-control of my m-magic." She took one of Scorpius's hands in her own. "I-I hurt y-you."

He shrugged, but his stormy eyes burned into her asking her why she had gotten so upset. She shook her head slightly and used his arms to shakily pull herself to her feet. James and Albus shot her warning looks, reminding her not to let anyone get suspicious about her gift.

Suddenly the conductor, a large man with grey hair and a blue suit marched down through the passageway with the Head Girl and Head Boy trailing behind him. "What happened here?" he asked, obviously ready to throw the guilty party off the train if necessary.

Lily half-hid behind Scorpius, terrified as she clutched the back of his grey shirt like a child. She couldn't find her voice, only stuttering, so Scorpius answered, "It was only an accident. She just got upset. She couldn't control her own anger. We all do it sometimes."

Oliver Wood's oldest son, Jeremiah, observed the shattered glass that was practically everywhere. He sighed. "We can't very well sign you up for detentions at this time of the year. Everyone, just go back to your compartments and use a simple repairing charm. If anyone has any troubles or serious injuries they can't heal, come to us."

Everyone milled around, looking for gossip, no doubt, before they were ushered back to their compartments. James and Al followed the Slytherins and Lily back to their compartment. Lily shook so much as she walked that Scorpius just picked her up and shamelessly carried her through the hallway, ignoring the stares of avid gossips. She didn't even protest; she only buried her face in his shirt and wrapped her arms around his neck, taking in his scent of cinnamon and vanilla, nothing like chocolate at all. Her brothers kept sneaking glances at her as she sat down on the seat by the newly-repaired window, refusing to say a word about what had happened.

Everyone else started talking about their plans for the summer vacation, but Scorpius sat beside Lily quietly, not pressuring her to talk, just watching her expressionless face carefully. Lily took his hands and quietly healed them and put her wand away. Her eyes seemed to be glued to the landscape, and she settled down to watch the world fly by, not releasing his hands from hers.

Scorpius relaxed in the seat beside her, and she was thankful that he would wait for her to talk patiently. He never tried to pull his hand away from her, and she was scared that he might only be doing it to comfort her as a friend. But his fingers easily intertwining themselves within hers before he drifted to sleep made her feel infinitely better.

Lily finally turned away from the window to commit his features to her memory forever. They were softened by sleep, and his pale eyelids covered his grey eyes. As she stared at him, Lily realized that it would be harder for Mortellea to bring her down than either of them had initially thought. She would protect those she loved until her dying breath.

OoOxXxOoO

James and Julian had run off to only-Merlin-knows-where to do only-Merlin-knows-what (probably terrorizing all of the smaller students for their Cauldron Cakes), and Alicia and Albus had fallen asleep an hour ago on the seats, her head on his shoulder.

Lily spent the time drowning in the landscape, washing away the blank eyes and the arm unattached to anything else. Trying to, at least. But it was practically impossible to let the images slip away. Scorpius slept beside her for two hours before he stirred, never pulling his hands away from hers the entire time.

She could tell he was awake by the irregular breathing patterns and his shifting on the bench beside her. She didn't turn away from the hills that rolled past the train, like the waves of the sea as she quietly talked to him. "I'm going to kill her," she stated calmly to the window.

Scorpius stiffened in the middle of stretching. "Just… who exactly are you going to kill?"

"Mortellea," she whispered quietly. "I'll kill her if it's the last thing I ever do. I deserve to go to Azkaban for all the things I want to do to her."

"I-in the hallway," he asked in an innocent, unknowing voice, "Did you see a vision?"

She shook her head. "No, I saw the present. She killed more people. She's been doing it all year, but she wanted me to see this time; she wanted to make a point of this death."

"A-and what would the point of this death be, exactly?" he asked shakily. She hated that he was uncertain. Wasn't the guy supposed to be the strong one in the relationship? _You're not _in_ a relationship, Potter_, she kicked herself.

"That she doesn't care who she hurts as long as she reaches her goal. She might even do it for fun. She killed a muggle _baby._" Lily turned to him finally, uncertainty and unshed tears shining in her eyes. "And I'm just as horrible as her."

"That's not true, Flower," he told her firmly, his hands suddenly gripping her tightly.

She shook her head, wiping her eyes with the back of one of her hands. "If I'd throw the same thing right back at her, how am I any better?"

His grey eyes pierced her soul. "You're saying you killed a muggle child?"

"No," Lily answered, loathing herself. What kind of person was she, to mess everything up, ruin her whole life without any outside help? Her voice fell to a whisper. "I performed an Unforgivable Curse. If my dad knew, he'd _have_ to send me to Azkaban, or he'd lose his job."

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "No, you didn't, Flower. Everything is in your head. I have no doubt that she's real; how else could you have been right about that Krum bloke? But you said that she's killed you before, but you're not dead yet. If you did something like that, I doubt it was real, Flower."

Lily sighed. "If I ever find her, I'm going to kill her, and if anyone tries to stop me, I'm afraid I'll kill them, too. I'll do anything to have her blood pooling at my feet, her face twisted in eternal agony… She'd deserve it. And I wouldn't even use magic. I'd use some cruel muggle tool that would make her suffer for hours on end. And she'd—"

"Lily, stop," Scorpius said, his eyes wide at what she had just poured out to him. "You don't have to be so dramatic."

She shook her head. "When she killed that muggle family, it was obvious how she did it. She killed the father and husband first. She tore him until he was just a bunch of various body parts, but he had it easy. The woman had to watch everything. Then Mortellea took the baby and tortured it until it was just a bloody piece of meat. The most recognizable feature was its tiny index finger. The woman was saved for last, made to suffer the entire time. Then Mortellea gave her these tiny cuts all over her body so that she'd bleed to death, the slowest and most painful way she could think of. She can't possibly be human with a heart like that." Her eyes found the window again, although she wasn't seeing the landscape that was beginning to form into London.

Scorpius was obviously more than a little scared. He saw the first signs of London and began to speak frantically. "Listen, Lily, please don't do anything stupid, like going to look for her. Please write to me over the summer, and tell me if you remember any visions or see her again. Promise me that you'll stay safe, that you'll stay away from anyone you don't completely trust. I couldn't bear to see you get hurt again."

"I promise," she said quietly, squeezing his hand for reassurance before she stood up and shook Al and Alicia awake, telling them that they would arrive at the train station in a couple of minutes. Scorpius watched her like an icy hawk, not even caring that her brother began acting more territorial around her when he noticed the stares.

XxXoOoXxX

Lily and Scorpius's parents were talking to each other when they stepped off of the train together. Scorpius was valiantly pulling her trunk behind him along with his own. She stopped him before their parents could notice them. "Scorp, I had a great year with you." She smirked, her playful mood covering up her unstableness underneath. "And as an Honorary Marauder, it is only fit for us to part with the Marauder Handshake. It's quite simple really."

He smiled, too, holding out his hand. She grinned and took her hand, spitting in it before she offered it to him. His smile quickly morphed into a look of disgust. "That's nasty. I'm not going to mix slobber with you."

She shrugged. "It's the same thing as snogging."

Their eyes met briefly before they broke away, both blushing awkwardly. He spit in his hand though, and they shook. Then she took her trunk from them and they met up with their parents. Formalities were exchanged before Lily's mum strangled both of the teens with a hug (really, she had turned into a replica of Grandmum Molly) and her dad embraced her, refusing to let go. Apparently, they were arranging some date for Harry and Draco to meet and talk about 'classified information for the Ministry.'

Lily rolled her eyes, and Scorpius, who was embraced fondly by his grandmother, winked at her. It wasn't long before they managed to locate Albus and James (although Lily really wouldn't have minded if they left him) and said their goodbyes to the numerous family friends that threatened to keep them there the rest of the day.

When they returned back to their home at Godric's Hollow, Harry and Lily went for a walk, as had been a sort of tradition since Lily had returned from her first year at Hogwarts. "Did you enjoy your third year?" Harry asked as he walked with her, keeping an arm around her shoulders.

Lily was silent for a moment as she thought. Muggles passed them on the sidewalk, moving with a purpose. They came upon the memorial in the square of her grandparents and her father when he was a baby. She stopped, looking up at the monument with slight awe. Harry looked with her silently, still waiting for her to answer. "I don't know," she answered at last. "I loved it because Scorpius is the best mate I've ever had, but I hate it because things will never go back to when things were normal. Dad, I'm always going to See things that no one else does, and it has changed me. It put things into a sort of perspective. People won't see me the same way either. Everything sort of shifted, and it feels like the world did, too."

Harry sighed. "Nothing's ever the same. After my fourth year, I felt that way. I've seen a lot of things, Lils, but I have this feeling that you'll see more than I ever will. Whether it is your ability or simply what you experience. Everything changes. Part of being a person is accepting those changes."

She shook her head. "Dad, what if I can't? I don't think I will accept any of that, no matter how hard I try. You're going to put me in Azkaban one of these days. And it might not be too far away."

Harry raised a charcoal eyebrow. "And just why would I put you in Azkaban, Lily? I wasn't aware that we put troublemakers in prison."

She shook her head. "I'm serious. Because I want to do this."

He gazed at her with almond-shaped eyes. "What is it that you want to do?"

She shook her head, chickening out. "The muggles' deaths are certainly going to terrify the wizarding world when this gets out."

He tried to flatten his hair down absently. "You knew about that, did you? It's just a bunch of rogue Death Eaters. Who else could it be?"

"Mortellea," she answered as they began to change direction, back towards their house where her mum would have dinner waiting for them. "Perhaps the Death Eaters are helping her, but didn't you find any trace of her? Muggles use fingerprints; maybe you should try that."

He shook his head. "There was nothing there but the bodies, Lils. Whoever did it didn't even use a wand, but they used magic to open the door. It seemed fairly careless to me for them to do that. But who exactly is Mortellea?"

She sighed. "It's a long story, Dad, but she wanted you to find the crime scene."

He shrugged. "We have all summer."

"Lily? Lily Potter?" The shouts made Lily turn to the unfamiliar voice. A girl with light brown curls ran to catch up with the pair. Her hazel eyes glinted with excitement. "Lily, how's boarding school? I haven't seen you in, like, four years!"

She suddenly recognized the curls and the freckles dotting the girls face. The girl two or three inches taller than her and just as skinny was her best friend until she had left for Hogwarts. "Stacey!" she exclaimed, embracing her former best mate. "It's been so long! And I love boarding school! It's awesome! But how's the school here? I bet I've missed out on so much!"

The girls laughed. Harry smiled and excused himself from the reunion. He told Lily to be home soon, and left her with the muggle girl to catch up. "Do you wanna go swimming at the lake tomorrow like we used to?" Stacey asked.

"I'd love to!" Lily said with just as much excitement. Maybe she wouldn't be stuck with only her family this summer. Stacey had been her friend since she was four. Stacey had asked Lily if she was going to Kindergarten, and Lily had persuaded her parents to enroll her in Muggle School instead of being homeschooled like her brothers. She had told all of her muggle friends that she was going to the same boarding school as her brothers when she left. "I'll meet you at ten tomorrow, right?"

Stacey laughed and nodded, "Yeah. Hey, isn't your birthday coming up soon? I remember it was like two or three weeks after school ended."

Lily nodded, having completely forgotten that her birthday was so soon. "Yeah, you'll have to come to the party I just might have." She laughed. She excused herself to go eat dinner once her stomach started complaining.

When she entered the cozy house with everyone enjoying their own schedules, she smelled the best home cooked meal ever. Lasagna. Her favorite. Her dad had already eaten, but was still sitting at the table, reading the _Quibbler_ as her mum washed the boys' dishes. Lily grabbed a plate of food and sat down beside Harry.

From behind the newspaper he was reading, Harry threw a letter on the table just in front of her. "I must say that Scorpius Malfoy is quite an insistent friend to have already sent you a letter. And I don't think his owl is going to leave until he gets a reply." He gestured to the dark grey owl drinking from Hedwig's water bowl. He never looked up from his paper which worried Lily. Just a tiny smirk would have meant that he was amused, but not even that made an appearance.

She still grabbed the letter with excitement and ran upstairs, leaving her barely touched lasagna on the table. Ginny sighed and covered her plate with foil, setting it in the fridge. "She really like him, doesn't she?"

"Maybe a little more than she should," Harry grumbled unhappily.

**So here is another chapter! I guess there is only one thing left to present to you: a challenge. When I get 50 reviews, I will post an extra chapter early! AND the next two or three chapters should be full of lots of action ;) lol so PLEASE REVIEW! And check out some of my other stories on my profile please!**


	15. Maybe a NotsoHappy Birthday

**Fifteen chapters! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and remember, when we get a few more reviews (the goal is a total of 50) then I will post an extra chapter early! :D**

Chapter 15: Maybe a Not-So-Happy-Birthday

Stacey splashed water on Lily as they climbed out of the water. Lily squealed and nudged her. They had been going to the lake just a short walk outside of Godric's Hollow every day since the day Lily got back. When they were still kids, Lily had loved swimming, but with all the pressure of work at Hogwarts, and the lake inhabited with Grindylows and the Giant Squid, she really had never ventured to go swimming since she had left. They clambered out of the water and laid back in the grass, side by side, staring up at the puffy clouds and blue skies.

Stacey laughed. "You know, tomorrow, you're turning fourteen. We have to celebrate."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Yeah, 'Cause I'm sure you'd just _love_ to be tortured to death by my family. James and Albus will probably having you run out of the house screaming within five minutes. Trust me; you do not want to celebrate my birthday."

It was Stacey's turn to roll her eyes, smoothing her wet, brown hair out of her face. "No, we're going to have a party for you. But not with your family. No, I've already set up a party at the diner. Everyone we went to school with when you were still here will be there."

Lily groaned, although she did love the diner. It was a sort of hang out for the teenagers, with the old jukebox still in place, and the guy that owned it let practically anything happen there. She had been to a couple of parties there, where they had dancing and a ton of fun. Those were always the best parties. "But nobody probably even remembers me," she whined. "Why make us all go through the same torture?"

Stacey laughed. "Are you kidding me? I dropped a hint to Anna that I had been talking to you, and the whole school went ballistic, asking me if you were in town this summer. You were like the most popular kid in school, Lils. Nobody could forget such a… special person as you."

Lily nudged her. "Stop telling lies. I know nobody's going to show up. Why even bother?"

Stacey rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll waste the time on making your party amazing and you show up around six, deal?" She smirked. "And if at least fifteen people come, you have to give me one of your birthday presents."

Lily laughed incredulously. "Fifteen people? Are you serious? I'm not sure I even hung out with that many people in grade school!"

"Just leave it to me," her friend answered, and that was that.

OoOxXxOoO

Lily woke up the morning of her birthday to smell sausage frying and something really good. Pancakes? Waffles? Unable to resist the excitement of her fourteenth birthday and the smell of sausage, she flipped the covers off of her lean body and raced down the stairs in pajama bottoms and her dad's oversized shirt that she had worn to bed since she was five. She saw that the boys' doors were open, but they weren't in there, and if they were up, they would be making a ton of ruckus and probably trying to dump water on her to wake her up.

She padded barefoot into the kitchen to find her mother hard at work on a three-layer cake, one layer already finished and producing an intoxicating smell. Ginny turned to see her daughter wriggle onto the bar seat at their counter. "Happy birthday, Honey!" she exclaimed. "I'm just making your cake; it probably won't be ready for a couple of hours. But I'm surprised that you're up so late."

"Eh," Lily answered nonchalantly, snagging a piece of sausage and toast off of the plates in front of her. Ten thirty wasn't too late of a time to get up. It was considered a miracle if Hugo woke up before noon. "Where is everybody else?"

Ginny smiled. "Your brothers went to Diagon Alley to pick up your gift, and your father is finishing up some work at the Ministry. He should be back in an hour or so."

"No, he won't," Lily told her, her eyes slightly unfocused. "There's been another murder, and he's tracking whoever did it. He won't find them though."

Ginny paused in stirring the vanilla batter (Lily had adamantly refused any chocolate on her cake although she loved it before) and resisted the urge to shudder. She had seen a lot of things, not nearly as much as Harry, but the calm way her daughter could see the future still frightened her. "Well—it seems that there's something else going on today," she told her, trying to smooth the moment over.

But Lily wasn't having any of that, and her emerald eyes were still seeing things that weren't in front of her. "Who's coming today?"

"Um, the Malfoys," she choked. "Your father needs to talk to Mr. Malfoy, and we invited the whole family. I thought that maybe Astoria and I could talk a little while you and the boys hung out. They were going to come next week, but they had a change of plans and had to come today before they left for Italy."

"Scorp is coming?" She asked, jumping up from her seat. "That's brilliant! I feel like I haven't seen him in ages! Mum, can he come to my party tonight?" She grinned, innocently looking to her mother for acceptance.

"What party?" Ginny asked, her brown eyes watching her suspiciously.

"Oh," Lily explained, startled that she had forgotten to tell her mother. "Stacey wanted to throw me a birthday party at the Diner, and she said she was going to invite all our old school friends. Can't he come please? I was going to see if James and Al wanted to come, too."

Ginny rolled her eyes, returning to the cake. "If his parents allow it. Remember, Lily, he wasn't raised around muggles like you were and his family can be a bit particular about it. I'm not sure if Mr. Malfoy would want his son doing that."

"Oh, posh. Scorp's parents would be fine with it. When are they coming?"

With a slight smile, she said, "At one, so your room had better be clean, missy. And would you walk the dog? He desperately needs some exercise other than pacing the backyard."

But Lily was already reaching for the leash they used on their gigantic lab dog. "Done!" she called as she slammed the back door shut. Ginny sighed, rolling her eyes. She could remember her being as old as Lily. So much was going on then; perhaps Lily would turn out to be a better young lady without that sort of pressure. She shook her head. No time to worry about such things now.

Lily raced out the back door, her ponytail swinging behind her. Suddenly she was tackled by their great black lab, Oreo. His great paws pinned her down as he licked her cheek. Oreo was a pure black dog except for the little white tip of his tail that looked like it had been dipped in paint, as Albus always claimed. The Potter family had had Oreo since Lily was two, and they practically grew up together. When James and Al had left Oreo for Hogwarts, he spent his night curling up on little Lily's bed and taking up half the space. Since she had left, he tried to move in with Harry, but he was roughly shoved out of the bed, seeing as three is a crowd. "Down, boy," Lily said, trying to push him off between fits of laughter.

When she finally managed to sit up, she put the leash on him, which was more or less a chain, seeing as he was so huge. He heard the clank of his collar and shot off to the door of the fence, knowing that it meant he was in for a walk… or a run. Lily twisted the leash a couple of times around his arm so he wouldn't get loose and undid the latch to the fence door, pushing it open just a crack in the process.

And Oreo took off like a bullet, pulling Lily along with him, whether she managed to stay upright or not. She stumbled and quickly regained her footing, running to keep up with him, but eventually she pulled on the leash, completely out of breath. Oreo slowed, panting loudly as he actually started sniffing around at his surroundings. She realized that he had taken her straight to the graveyard, and she shuffled, thinking that he probably came here out of habit since her father visited it daily whenever he routinely walked Oreo.

She reached her hand out to touch the cool iron gate that was too cold for midsummer. An impulse wanted her to gently open the gate and look around. Oreo sharply tugged on his leash as he stretched to sniff the grass just out of his reach, startling her out of some sort of trance, and it was like she could suddenly see clearly, like she had put on glasses. The ominous cemetery was quiet, the only noise being the whistling breeze, but a woman with dark hair and malicious smile gestured for her to come closer. Lily stumbled backwards, pulling on Oreo's leash. He had noticed the woman and started growling protectively, his teeth barred. She tugged on his leash with all her might, but the dog adamantly refused to budge. What was Mortellea doing here in Godric's Hollow? With a sharp tug that almost choked Oreo, she finally managed to get him to back away from the graveyard. Hectic, she started running although she still had a stitch in her side from running the first time. They ran until Lily basically collapsed at the memorial in the square of her grandparents and dad.

Oreo sniffed at the memorial suspiciously. Lily wiped her hair out of her eyes that was damp with sweat. Sighing, her forehead met the cool stone the memorial had been shaped from. Would Mortellea try to follow her? If so, she was a sitting duck, but the adrenaline was retracting from her blood and she could sense that the danger had passed. Her chest heaving, she stood up, her legs shaking from the exertion. She guided Oreo back to their house, pausing at the old ruins of her father's old house at the end of the street. Like the memorial, it only appeared to wizards unaccompanied by muggles, but where there had once been a nursery, only the shattered remains of the house was in its place. On an impulse and despite the danger she had just escaped, she opened the little iron gate and made her way up the little path to the front door until Oreo whined tugging backwards on his leash.

Oreo never backed down, he was never frightened by dogs because there were very few larger than him, but he whimpered like a scaredy cat. Lily finally came up with the brilliant idea of tying his leash to one of the spikes on the fence, leaving him outside. Hurrying before she chickened out, she quickly walked up the overgrown path and settled her hand on the door handle. She tried to turn it, but it was locked. She pulled out her pin and broke in. Technically it wasn't breaking in though, because it would belong to her father, right? When the door finally opened, it creaked loudly like one of those haunted houses, and Lily glanced around to make sure no one was looking, even though no one had any reason to come down this way unless wizards were sightseeing. With another deep breath, she stepped inside, shutting the door behind her.

She began to curse herself, seeing as it was pitch black inside, but suddenly, light flared through the house. Everything was perfect, like someone lived here. Not a speck of dust had gathered anywhere, and the furniture was not home to rat nests or anything else. In fact, Lily almost screamed when she saw that the house was inhabited by people, a couple and their child. Except they looked exactly like the family from the memorial. The man, with messy black hair like her father, glasses, and hazel eyes was holding a bowl of candy, rooting around for something good. "Don't' we have any good candy, Flower? Harry's not going to have a very good childhood if you only buy him the nasty candy."

A woman that looked so much like Lily herself sighed. In one arm, she held a little baby with no scar on his forehead and tufts of black hair. With her other arm, she snatched the bowl of candy away from the man. "James," she said in a tired tone. "You know that I got this stuff so you wouldn't gorge on all of it and leave nothing for the little kids. If I let you have your way, Harry's teeth would already be rotted out."

He sighed. James Potter took out his long wand and tossed it on the couch before sitting in the armchair. "This is so boring. When can Padfoot come? I haven't seen him in forever. I hate being trapped in this stupid house." He kicked over one of what must have been Harry's toys that resembled a brightly colored tricycle.

Lily Potter sighed. She handed baby Harry to James, kissing him lightly on the mouth as she did so. Harry smacked his father's face with a bubbling giggle. "You know I don't like it, either, James. That doesn't mean you can go around being all grumpy about it. Think, you have plenty of time to spend with me and Harry. If you were still working as an Auror, you'd hardly ever get to see us with all these attacks."

"But I'd be doing something," he whined, bouncing Harry on his leg. "Here, there's only so much I can do. I want to be out there, stopping this from happening. I could be doing so much out there, but I'm stuck here with nothing to do but read Sirius's letters and the Daily Prophet, which is just a bunch of hocus pocus anyways. I hate this."

Lily sighed, throwing her own wand beside James's and leaned over James again, placing feather-light kisses on his face as he struggled to get his lips to hers and she successfully evaded, bringing a smile to his lips. "Honey, Dumbledore said that this would be—" At that moment, the doorbell rang, signifying some little trick-or-treat-er had come.

James leaped out of his seat, handing Lily the baby at the same time. "I'll get it. Gives me something to do in this damn place."

"James," Lily snapped at his language. Her face softened. "I love you."

He looked at her a moment. "You've always known I love you, Lily."

She smiled. "I'm going to lay Harry down for bed."

As he ran to the door he said, "Woman, that child is never going to have any of my good marauder sense if you keep treating him this way." They both chuckled. Lily evans Potter walked into the next room with Harry, and Lily Luna Potter, unsure of what to do, hovered in the space between the hallway and the living room.

James opened the door to find a hulking figure, even taller than him who was no short man. It was too dark to see beneath the cloak, but with a shiver of dread, Lily Luna already knew who it was as he raised his wand to point at James. "Lily, run! It's him! He's found us!"

Lily Luna bit back a scream as Voldemort uttered the two words that sent James falling to the floor as a lifeless corpse. With an evil snicker, Voldemort stepped over the dead body and progressed to the nursery. Lily flew to the ground beside James, checking for a pulse even though it would be useless. Her hand, which was completely solid to her, slipped right through his body. Unsure if this meant that it was the scene or Lily that was insubstantial, she leapt to her feet and raced into the nursery before Voldemort, who was obviously taking his time. Lily Evans Potter was rocking little Harry quickly as he wailed, knowing that something was terribly wrong. A crystal tear fell down her cheek. When she heard Voldemort's steps echoing closer, she settled Harry in his crib sitting up and spread herself out, facing the door, to protect him. Lily Luna saw the hooded figure enter. "Step aside, girl, and your life will be spared."

The words sent a chill down Lily Luna's spine, but her grandmother, who had much more spine than her granddaughter ever would, defied, "No, please, please don't hurt him!"

"This is your last chance. Step aside and you won't be hurt. It's your son I want."

"No!" She screamed. With a flash of green light, Lily Evans Potter fell to the floor just like her beloved husband. Lily Luna could not help but scream. Even though she knew how this story ended, it was so much worse than could be told.

Voldemort's wand fixated on little Harry Potter who had strangely stopped crying. He gazed at the wand, obviously thinking it was a toy as he reached out for it. "_Avada Kedavra._" Lily did not realized that she had tried to throw herself in front of what would one day be her father to protect him. But the flash of green light passed straight through the middle of her body and struck Harry. He started crying, but the flash rebounded, and something like a great explosion had Lily covering her eyes. She heard Voldemort's last cry of fury before everything went black.

Lily awoke to find herself in the crumbled remains of the nursery although she had no memory of getting there besides walking through the past memory of the house. Her hand was grasping something that she pulled out from underneath a wooden beam that had fallen. Clutched tightly in her hand was a thin little book covered in dust. She wiped the grime off on her tank top, not caring how dirty it got. She opened it and saw that most of the pages had been damaged beyond repair besides a picture of her father dated at five months after he was born. A few pages over was something fairly clear with a neat script followed by a much more messy writing.

_Dear Harry,_

_Today is your first birthday and your daddy and I are so proud! We love you so much, sweetie, and even though we've dealt with your dirty diapers and crying in the middle of the night, we still love you to death. I hope that even when you're all grown up like us, you'll still pull this book out and remember us. Remember to call Mummy if you ever have problems in your life, your daddy and I will always be there to help._

_Lots of Love,_

_Lily_

_**Dear Harry,**_

_**I never knew that a kid could be so whiney and annoying before you came along. Your mum says that she wants to work on those dozen kids I wanted when we went to Hogwarts, but now I'm not so sure. Your mother tries to keep you under lock and key, but no worries, I have come to your aid numerous times already. I'm a little amazed that you're already a year old, but remember that we love you kiddo. When you cry because you hurt your knee, we're going to be there for you. But when you're older, just don't forget your cool old man (good grief, I'm old?) and drop us an owl now and again.**_

_**You know I love you,**_

_**James**_

Lily ran out of the house, bolting past the furniture covered in plastic and the broken pieces of glass from an armoire that had held Grandmum Lily's china. In a panic, she fled the house, not even bothering to shut the door behind her. She only paused long enough to slam the gate door so hard that it teetered open again and untie Oreo. She raced towards her house which really wasn't much farther beyond the house. She opened the white gate to her house and became distracted by wiping the tears off of her flushed cheeks. Suddenly, she bumped into someone, who caught her before she could go sprawling to the grass, her hand released Oreo's leash and he bolted away to his new freedom.

"Flower, what's wrong? What happened?"

The familiar voice that she hadn't heard in so long made her break down completely. She sobbed into Scorpius's muggle leather jacket as his arms wrapped around her. She tried to tell him what happened, but she only managed to blubber certain words. He gently smoothed her hair out of her eyes and hooked a finger under her chin to lift her to face him. Her emerald eyes still thick with tears, she gazed at Scorpius's face.

He had thinned a little over the summer, but she could still feel his thick muscles through his shirt and jacket. His jaw had become a little more defined, and his melted grey eyes held the worry he had pent up over her for the past month. "Flower, you can tell me what happened."

But then the adults swarmed around her. Astoria and Draco Malfoy showed little more than polite concern, and her mother resembled Grandmum Molly as she demanded to know what happened. As if to answer, Lily handed her the little baby book. Ginny took it gingerly, and Scorpius's arms loosened from around her as he peered at the thing for himself. Lily broke away from the circle of his arms and ran, still crying into the house. She ran as fast as she could for the stairs. But when she reached them, she opened the door to the little nook beneath them that was fairly empty except for dust and cobwebs. Kreacher, as much as he would've loved to use this space, used the walk-in closet in the hallway instead as his space. Lily had always hid here as a child to escape punishment, but now she knew it would take a while for anyone to find her.

She ignored all of the people who called for her through the house, searching in the possible hiding places that a fourteen-year-old girl could fit into. It was Scorpius who found her, of course. He always seemed to know where she was. But instead of calling to the adults, he crawled into the space with her and wrapped his arms around her again, shutting the door behind him, plunging them both into darkness. "Talk."

"I saw my grandparents die."

"James and Lily Potter?" he clarified.

She nodded against his jacket. "I just wanted to see the inside of the house, so I went in. Then it was like I was watching a memory in a pensieve of their last moments. Granddad was upset that he was always stuck inside, but Grandmum was trying to reassure him. He opened the door to give Halloween candy to children, but instead, he was facing Voldemort."

"Where did that book come from?"

She shrugged. "I only remember going into the house besides the vision. When I woke up, I was in the shambles of the nursery, clutching it. They said that they'd be there for my dad." She sobbed again. "But they aren't. They won't be. Not ever."

"Don't you think your dad's already realized that?" Scorpius pointed out.

"But they never did," Lily explained quietly. "They had no idea, and then they were just… dead. It came so fast that I didn't even have time to think. But Voldemort wasn't cruel to them. He just killed them. There are so many other things worse than that. But Mortellea. She kills by drawing it out. She's not going to give anyone an easy way of escape."

"Why do you think you saw that?" Scorpius asked her, as though trying to piece some puzzle together.

"Why do I see any visions at all?" Lily countered. "Can we just not talk about this? It's my birthday. And you're here. I don't want to spend it moping about." Suddenly recovered, she stood up and wiped her eyes, trying to calm the hi8ccups she got every time she cried.

A little surprised, Scorpius stood up. "Okay, then. Since you're so ecstatic about your birthday, do you want to get your present now or later?"

Lily opened the door, and the light revealed her forced smile. "Now, please. What did you get me? It was the answer to that stupid question of who your good luck charm is, isn't it?"

Scorpius laughed, following her out of the little space. "No, it's actually a gift, thank you." He walked to their kitchen and picked up a package wrapped in emerald green wrapping paper, except that the gift had not been wrapped very well, and it was a bit clumped in some places and loose in others. He bit his lip as he handed it to her. "It's not much. I mean, I doubt you'll think it's that great, and my dismal wrapping skills really don't help…"

Lily smiled fondly at the messy paper, before opening her present. The box was little and was no larger than one of her hands. "I'm sure that whatever it is, it will be fabulous, Scorp." She opened the lid to the box and gasped. Nestled into a soft cloth was a little barrette. A gold Lily glimmered in the fabric and was intertwined around a twisting green snake. She had absolutely no doubt that it was pure gold and real emerald for the snake. "Oh, Sweet Merlin, Scorpius, it's beautiful!" She threw her arms around Scorpius's neck suddenly but pulled away with excitement before he could return the hug. "Help me put it in my hair!"

She let her hair out of its braid and raced to the bathroom to brush it out, Scorpius trailing slowly behind her. She pranced back to him and held out the barrette. He gently took it out of the box and used it to pin her soft hair back. "You look beautiful," he murmured.

Lily threw herself into his arms again and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, Scorpius."

"Lily!" The pair detached themselves and were practically on opposite sides of the room in half a second, blushing and avoiding Ginny's critical gaze. "Where have you been? We were looking all over for you? What's the meaning of all this?"

"Scorp was just giving me my birthday present, Mum," she answered quietly.

"And suddenly your all cheered up after coming home in tears? Where were you for three hours? It does not take that long to walk a dog. I was beside myself with worry!"

"Erm," Lily muttered, unsure if she should tell her mother that she was snooping in places she really shouldn't. "That's a funny story, but… erm…"

At that moment, she was saved by her brothers and father flooing in at the same time. "Happy birthday, Lils!" James yelled, oblivious to the tense atmosphere. He ran and hugged his sister as Albus followed. Albus handed her a very large package, smothering her in a brother bear hug. Harry flooed in, beaming as well.

"Where's my little girl?" he thundered, scooping Lily up into his arms and twirling her around like she was still six and would giggle. Instead, she had to struggle not to burst into tears at the sight of the scar underneath his messy hair.

"Dad, stop," she murmured, a tad embarrassed. He laughed and set her down.

"Another year older. Am I really so old as this? You'll have to remember to drop your old man an owl every now and again." He ran his fingers through his messy hair, vainly trying to flatten it. And Lily finally burst into tears again at the words that he could have quoted from James Potter's letter to his son. Puzzled, her father frowned. "What did I say, Lily?"

Ginny came and whispered something in his ear, handing him the little book. "I didn't mean to, Dad," Lily cried suddenly at his shocked expression as he gazed at the thin little book. "I went into that house, just to see what it was like! But I found that, Dad! I'm so sorry!" She sobbed into his chest. "I saw them die! It was horrible and-and—" Her voice broke off into sobs. Astoria and Draco were gazing at her in obvious confusion.

Harry read the little notes left for him before he led her to one of the chairs and sat her down, kneeling in front of her. "Shh, Lily," he murmured soothingly. "I'm not mad at all. Everything will be okay, don't worry, sweetheart."

"A-and I know that you didn't find the murderer today, even though you chased him all night. A-and I know that next t-time you'll be looking for the murderer o-of a bunch of muggleborns, an-an-and—Daddy, I want to stop seeing things!" She dove into his arms and sobbed not caring that she sounded like a whining child. She was only fourteen, but she felt like she bore the weight of the world on her little shoulders.

"Lily, just calm down," Harry comforted quietly. What else was he supposed to do? He couldn't make her personal torture stop. "Everything will turn out just fine, I promise."

Scorpius knelt beside both of them, his white-blonde hair shining in the light. "Lily, why don't we go take a walk? You can show me everything you'd like about Godric's Hollow."

She sniffled and wiped her eyes, nodding. "Okay," she whispered easily. Slightly amazed that the young boy could calm her down with just a few words, Harry released his grip on her as she sat up. She straightened out her tank top, but realizing how soiled it was from the dust in that house, she excused herself to change.

When she returned, this time in a shirt tied back to fit her better and short shorts that showed much of her slender leg, her father and Draco had already slinked into Harry's study and the boys had run off to play Quidditch while Astoria chatted with Ginny. Scorpius was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. She smiled gently, still unsure of how fragile her emotional state was.

He took her hand as they had on the train and let her lead him out of the house. Unwilling to go past the memorial or the house, she took him to the path that led to the lake. She still had the barrette in her hair, and it kept the red strands from hiding her face as she examined her sneakers. "I'm sorry about all of this, Scorp."

He looked at her like she was crazy, and she was beginning to think she was. "What is there to be sorry about?"

She bit her lip, chewing over her words before she said them. "Some Gryffindor I am," she snorted suddenly. "I can't even stand up to my visions. I always end up crying in your arms or someone else's. They aren't even really there sometimes, but they terrify me. I don't know why the Sorting Hat put me there; maybe so I'd be with the rest of my family."

Scorpius gave her another funny look. "Yeah right. You're one of the bravest girls I've ever met. Who else would dare show me the secrets of the Marauder's on pain of death? Who else would stand up to her entire family to defend our friendship? Why would you think otherwise?"

But she was shaking her head. "I shouldn't have gone in there. I knew I shouldn't but I wanted to so badly. Maybe I can at least be brave enough to slit Mortellea into a thousand tiny chunks of flesh and scatter them across the world, stomping on each and every piece," she muttered darkly, still glaring at her shoes.

"Oh, yes," Scorpius mocked her, "Because a person with as much strength as a bunny rabbit is _so_ terrifying."

His comment successfully lightened the mood, and she smiled. "At least I can beat a Slytherin."

"Hey!" he exclaimed in mock-outrage. "I only hold out on you. I let you win."

She laughed outright this time. "Yeah right!"

With a sort of growl, he pulled his hand away from hers, preparing to tackle her. She giggled and started running down the path to the lake. She stopped right on the edge, so close that the tips of her sneakers were in the water. Scorpius was right behind her, and he stopped at the edge of the water beside her. With a laugh she pushed him in, and he went tumbling into the water, except that he pulled her with him. The imbalance of weight caused them both to go toppling into the water, both laughing.

Lily splashed water at him. "You prat! You've ruined my clothes!"

Scorpius laughed but came closer to her, gently removing the clip from her hair, laying it on the grass. Then he slipped off his wet shoes and jacket and laid them out to dry beside the clip. Lily's shoes and socks went on shore and they returned to splashing each other and laughing, enjoying the time together they had.

**Grrr. I'm a little mad cause I was not expecting this chapter at all, and it means I have to push off the chapter I had planned, the party. I am forced to split it into 2 chapters because I have to go to school in 6 hours and desperately need to sleep and this thing is five thousand words already. I liked it though. Please review! Will start working on the next chapter to post ASAP!**


	16. Drink Your Troubles Away

**Yay! I got 50 reviews! I know this isn't the update, but I will have it posted by Wednesday at the latest because I was too busy and the update should be a shorter chapter. So I will take this time to thank every single one of the people who reviewed! Obviously, I can't thank everyone but thanks to Dinosaurs-go-rawr (and love the name by the way!) and Jessica682, tez-chan, catindahat, THExHEARTx, BellaMissieCullen, ShootingStar34, and everyone else who reviewed!**

**So this chapter is dedicated to all of my reviewers, even if their name wasn't mentioned, and especially to randomgirloutthere110, my bff who has supported me through everything and gave me the brilliant idea to get an account and write fanfiction!**

**So I will shut my trap and let you read the story!**

Chapter 16: Drink Your Troubles Away

Dripping wet, Lily and Scorpius sloshed into the house, laughing as she wrung her hair out on his shoulder and wet footprints marking their paths. Their mothers, discussing the latest fashions from _Witch Weekly_ over a cup of tea, looked up at the sound of their lighthearted laughter. "Lily Luna!" Ginny scolded, standing up. "Do _not_ track that through my house!"

Lily rolled her eyes, feeling much better than she had earlier in the afternoon after taking a rather unexpected dip in the lake with the blonde-haired boy at her side. "Just use a Drying Charm on us, Mum, and then I'll go clean up everything."

Her mother sighed, her chocolate eyes reproving, but she pulled out her wand and dried them both. Her daughter ran into the kitchen and grabbed a towel from the counter to mop up the footprints, disappearing into the hallway. "I trust you had a good time," Ginny muttered dryly to Scorpius as she settled back into her chair and took another sip of tea.

"Yes, ma'am," he answered politely, nodding his head amiably. "Lily showed me the lake where she goes swimming with her friend Stacey."

"I can tell," Ginny told him with a good-natured smile, trying to help the boy who was standing rigidly straight relax. "Are you going to Lily's birthday party at the Diner this evening?"

"Well, I was hoping to…" He said, turning his pleading grey eyes upon Astoria, trying to smother her with hope that he could go. "But I need permission…"

Astoria grinned as Lily pranced back into the living room, halting at his side. "Uh-uh, mister. I'm not getting into _that_ mess. Your father would be furious with me if I just let you go. Go ask him yourself."

"Are we allowed to go into Dad's study?" the birthday girl piped in.

Ginny nodded. "I suppose so, but you have to knock first and don't just barge in. Wait for Harry to open the door."

Lily nodded, already pulling Scorpius down another hallway by his wrist behind her. They made their way past various family photographs as Scorpius slowed to look at each one. Some were pictures of the children in their Hogwarts robes, and another showed a little Lily diving for her teddy bear that the boys had taken away from her and were ripping off the buttons. Frantically, Harry and Ginny rushed to pull the mischievous children away from each other. Lily laughed when she noticed him looking. "Yeah, family pictures like that never really worked out for us. James and Albus were in trouble for a week because Mum and Dad were embarrassed. Yet Mum insisted a photo of all of us went somewhere." They stopped suddenly in front of a closed door on which Lily tentatively knocked, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet.

The low murmuring of voices suddenly cut off, and she could hear the crinkle of papers as they were hastily shoved into a drawer. Lily's eyes went blank with a vague curiosity. "Don't you dare," scolded Scorpius. She frowned at him, obviously upset for ruining her fun; she _hated_ when people told her not to do that. "Trust me," he told her. "If it's my father, it's best not to interfere."

As she opened her mouth to protest that she wasn't interfering, only seeing whatever the big secret was, the door opened. Harry gazed at them suspiciously through his circular glasses. Lily quickly dropped Scorpius's hand, realizing finally that they were still intertwined. "What do you two need?"

"We—well, Scorpius, really—need to talk to Mr. Malfoy," she explained readily, the words rolling off her tongue instantly.

He sighed. "Okay then." He led the pair into the study, which Lily had never really seen. The study was always the place where the children, even Teddy, didn't go unless they were in trouble because their Dad kept some pretty important Ministry files in there. Naturally, James and Albus had seen the office numerous times and were rather familiar with it. On the other hand, Lily absorbed all of the features of the room. The mahogany desk rather dominated the room, accompanied by two large bookshelves that took up the wall behind it. There were little trinkets on the desk, including the framed drawing Lily had drawn when she was four of their family. The family's tallness was based on how old they word, Harry being the tallest, with a rather fat head and his scar and glasses and much taller than the house in the background and Lily the smallest, her red hair that fell way past her feet. Two professional-looking chairs were on one side of the desk and her father's rolling office chair on the other. Mr. Malfoy was looking at the many books displayed on the shelves with mild interest, his head tilted slightly and his hands clasped behind his back.

"Uh, Dad?" Scorpius tentatively swallowed and his father turned to face him. They looked very similar with the same noses and such, and Lily wondered if Scorpius would one day be a replica of Draco but with warm grey eyes instead of icy blue ones. "Erm, well, Lily has, ah, invited me to her birthday party, a-and I, uh, was wondering if, erm, if I could go?" She had never really heard him stutter except when he was really nervous and marveled to herself at hearing it.

"Why didn't you ask your mother?"

Scorpius coughed uncomfortably. "Well, she, erm, said that she, uh, didn't want to be involved, sir."

Draco was obviously confused. "Now why would she say that? She could have easily let you go, I wouldn't have minded."

"Well, sir," Lily cut in, wondering if she was using proper etiquette or had mucked it up already by interrupting. "The thing is, my muggle friends from my old school are throwing the party for me at the Diner tonight."

"Ah," Draco said, understanding. Instead of answering immediately, he turned back to the books, but his face showed that he was debating it; at least he hadn't flat-out said no. Harry watched him curiously, the pair of teens noticed, preparing to judge him on this choice. Draco knew so as well and turned to them all with a bright smile that lit up his whole face the same way as Scorpius. "Go ahead, son. Just remember that they aren't like us. Your mother and I will probably go home after Mr. Potter and I finish up here, but you can floo home after us."

Scorpius smiled brightly, too, mirroring his father. "Thanks, Dad!"

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered as Lily gave an excited squeal. "Why don't you let me and Mr. Potter finish our business?"

They hurriedly rushed out. James and Albus had just gotten back and readily agreed to go with them to the party, rather excited about the whole thing and Lily finally opened her present from the boys. She gasped in awe at her favorite book that she had been unable to find anywhere.

But soon enough, after enduring teasing by James and Albus (both of whom, Lily had noted suspiciously, were getting along much better with Scorpius since she found out she was a Seer), it was time for them all to leave for the Diner. Lily dressed in nicer clothes before they left, a short, black skirt with embedded sparkles and an emerald button-down shirt that matched her eyes.

When they walked in, Lily was smothered by the familiar faces of friends, including Tony Shepherd, her Kindergarten sweetheart. They got married and lived in the white cottage on the playground overlooking the slide after he kissed her behind the bushes. Stacey was happily directing the whole thing and soon found the birthday girl.

"Well? Didn't I tell you everyone would show up?" She half yelled over the music from the jukebox.

Lily laughed. "Alright, I concede. You were right! Maybe people actually did like me!"

With a laugh, Stacey told her, "You know, Tony broke up with his girlfriend just before school ended…"

"Don't get any ideas," Lily sternly answered, cutting off any discussion.

She weaved through the crowd after talking to Stacey and chatted with old friends. They all reminisced with her of funny stories from their school years together, such as the time Lily snorted chocolate milk out her nose, or the time she and Chad had to go to the principal's office because he cut her hair. She ran into Cathy Hardwick who was another one of her best friends. They talked about how Cathy's brother, who was going to graduate from college next year, was working at the Diner now, and the old man had left him in charge for the evening.

She danced with many of the boys, too, as they vied for her attention among themselves. Scorpius, James, and Albus, however, seemed to be a little more left out, although the girls thronged to them, each asking to dance with them. But they declined, obviously uneasy around the muggle girls. Cathy came to Lily and said, "I really like your blonde friend; he's really hot."

"He's got a girlfriend," she said shortly.

"Aw," Cathy said, her head drooping. "That's really a shame…"

Lily didn't know why she lied, she just did. She didn't even realize what she said until the words hastily flew from her mouth. With a surge of the feeling of needing to be territorial, she didn't correct herself, even though she knew that what she had said was dead wrong. Scorpius hadn't had a girlfriend since Slutty Putty and he didn't appear to be looking for one. She felt a little tingle down her spine; she wanted to be his girlfriend.

The party as a whole went quite well and everyone gorged themselves on pizza and soda. At about ten at night, some of the more responsible kids left, paying their respects to her after eating some of her chocolate cake (which Lily politely stayed away from), and the other kids launched themselves into various games like Twister that someone had found in a supply closet. At eleven, Cathy found Lily again. "My brother got some beer. Where do you want it?"

Lily's eyebrows shot upwards. "Excuse me?"

Cathy shifted to her other foot, trying to seem nonchalant but obviously afraid she would get in trouble. "Darren's 21 now, so he can buy the stuff and he brought a few cases over. Where do you want them?"

Lily knew how much trouble they would be in if anyone caught them. It was illegal for muggles to drink until they were twenty-one and witches and wizards couldn't have Firewhiskey until they were seventeen, and she most certainly didn't want to be found by her father with her breath smelling of beer. But then she caught sight of a platinum-blonde boy in a corner, away from all of the other kids, looking rather inattentive. "Put them at the tables and bring me two bottles." Lily's eyes didn't stray from his figure even when Cathy walked away to tell her brother.

So Lily found herself walking to her best friend with a beer bottle in each hand. When she sipped it, she resisted spewing it across the nearby kids dancing and choked the foul-tasting concoction down. Finally deciding it tasted no worse than the potions Madame Pomphrey gave out, she gulped down another drink, and found that it went down much more smoothly. In fact, she rather liked the tangy taste that burned down her throat although it took a lot of drinks.

When she finally made her way to Scorpius, she held out the unopened bottle to him. "You wanna try some?"

He took the bottle suspiciously, popping off the top and sniffed the contents suspiciously. "What is this? It smells like Firewhiskey, but also not like it. Is this some muggle drink?"

She nodded freely, taking another searing gulp. Drown it out, wash it away. "Mmm-Hmm. It's beer, like normal whiskey, I think. Firewhiskey Is boiled with dragons' fire or something isn't it? That's why it's much, much stronger than muggle beer."

He nodded, raising the bottle to his lips. "I think that's right." He took a tentative gulp of the drink and then started coughing and spluttering. "Merlin's beard!" he exclaimed, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "That's downright nasty!"

She giggled. "Try it again. The first taste is the worst. It's not that bad once you get used to the burn of the alcohol. I actually rather like it."

He tried again, letting out a rough breath when it seared down his throat. He blinked at her for a moment before he smiled and took another swig. "I hardly understand anything they're saying, ya know. All the girls are asking me what Smovies I like. What are smovies anyways?"

She laughed. "You mean movies? They're like… like photographs and paintings with sound. Sort of. I dunno; it's really hard to explain. Like really long television shows. Just stick with me and I'll show you around. It's easy to fit in once you get the hang of things."

"And what is felyvision?" He asked as they began to meander into the crowd, not really taking much more notice of the people around them besides taking care not to bump into them. "I really don't understand muggles."

Lily's smile grew a little wider. "I'll explain it sometime later when I can think straighter. " She giggled. "You wanna dance?"

He took her outstretched hand, finally taking in the people swaying to the music of the jukebox. "How are we supposed to dance? Mum and Dad only had me learn ballroom dancing 'cause we have all those parties, y'know?" Since both of them were carrying beer bottles, she shrugged, giving up on the idea but their hands remained together.

"I dunno," she answered after yet another drink, her bottle gradually growing empty. "I guess ya just kinda… feel the music. Get into this zone where ya just kinda know what to do…" They walked past a girl grinding into her partner.

Scorpius spluttered, "_That's_ feeling the beat of the music?"

With cheeks steadily growing red, she shrugged. "That's feeling—er—something else."

He tipped his head towards the ceiling, his lips around the bottle. When he brought it down, he was frowning. "Ya got any more of these?"

She nodded, her hair shaking around behind the golden pin. "Come with me." She pulled him to the drinks table, finishing off her own beer. When they reached the table where the pink punch and beers were, she popped the cap off of two more, handing him one as the carbonated steam curled off of it. Simultaneously, they took long draughts of their bottle.

Suddenly, someone popped from the crowd in front of them. The brown curls bounced as Stacey squealed, "We're gonna play Never Have I Ever!" Obviously rather drunk with her breath smelling of beer, she tottered and stumbled, caught before she fell by Lily. She hiccupped and said, "Ya both are gonna play, right?" Scorpius seemed confused, but Lily nodded her head vigorously. Stacey clapped and giggled. "I'm gonna… I'm gonna find some ofer… other people, mm-hmm. " She stumbled away, and went to find others who wanted to play the game.

The party's members had depleted greatly to maybe ten people, and when they gathered around, the muggles were drunk and the wizards and witch a bit tipsy seeing as regular whiskey affected them nowhere near as much as Firewhiskey. They sat in a circle on a clear space on the tile floor. Tony sat beside Lily and Scorpius across from her. Cathy sat besides James (trying to be a little more than friendly with the eldest of the Potters) and another girl, Emma Kaseton, sat beside Albus who wasn't remotely interested in her. Benji Campton sat beside Scorpius and Stacey, who was between Benji and Lily, stood up.

"So here are the rururs… the rules," she began to explain, swaying slightly. "If you, uh… put down a finger, 'cause you, ya know, did whatever… well, ya know what I'm talkin' 'bout, then you have to take off an… an… a piece of clothin' an' give it to the person who said it. If you don't wanna do that, then ya gotta… ya gotta… ya gotta snog 'em—whoever said stuff, that is."

She fell into a fit of giggles, and Lily pulled her back down into her seat on the floor. "'kay, then," Lily said, taking Stacey's place. "Whatcha do is you say 'Never have I ever… blah, blah blah,' just something you've never done before. And everybody holds up ten fingers, and if they've done that before, they have to put down their finger and strip… or snog them, whatever ya want to do. When you are out of fingers or clothes, you lose, and whoever lasts the longest wins. Everybody got that?"

Murmurs of consent went around and many nodded their heads as she sat down again. Everyone held up their hands, all fingers up. Stacey started. "Never have I Ever… snogged a boy." Lily, regrettably, put down a finger. She _had_ kissed McLaggen. The other girls also put their fingers down as Lily put her shoes on the space in front of Stacey. To everyone's astonishment, James put a finger down, too, mumbling, "Don't wanna talk 'bout it."

Lily was next. She thought for a moment, her head tilted to the side, before she said, "Never Have I Ever smoked weed." A jacket from one of the girls and a pair of shoes sat at her feet.

Tony, who was smirking at her whenever he caught her eye said, "Never Have I Ever received head." James, of course, put a shameful finger down, giving up his shirt as Albus shook his head.

"Never Have I Ever given head," said Emma with a knowing smile and a pointed look at Stacey. Stacey grimaced and gave up her shoes. Another girl gave it up, too.

Everything went like this for a long time, everyone drinking even more as they played. Lily ended up snogging Tony twice, his lips warm but unfamiliar against hers. Luckily, she didn't have to put many fingers down. James, of course, was the first one out, having done, it seemed, everything their father would kill him for if he knew. Cathy just randomly passed out after having too much beer, and Benji left, taking her with him to drop her off at her house. It wasn't long before the only ones left were Tony, Albus, Scorpius and Lily. Scorp and Lily had five fingers left while the other had two and their pants. Emma and Stacey had fallen asleep half an hour prior.

"Never Have I Ever… been to public school," Albus said, resulting in the loss of Tony's pants and Lily's barrette which she insisted he not lose. Scorpius smirked, his fingers still up.

"Never Have I Ever…" Lily caught sight of the blonde boy's haughty smirk and glared. "Never Have I Ever dated a slut." The words slashed through the air, and all of the boys' fingers went down. Albus's pants went onto the pile with a groan, revealing his red and black checkered boxers, and Tony was forced to snog her (although she suspected he really didn't mind) instead of giving up his blue-stripped boxers which was all he had left. Scorpius sighed, giving up his shirt, leaving only his pants and boxers. She tried not to ogle too much at the pale planes of his chest and abs from Quidditch.

Scorpius, with a half-smirk, half-glare that resulted in a rather frightening picture, spoke loudly. "Never Have I Ever _posed _as a slut."

She rolled her eyes, putting a finger down. Tony laughed. "It smse… it seems that yeh're gonna have to take off somethin' othes… other than yehr accessories, missy. Preferably the skirt? I'd love to see yehr knickers."

James, who was sitting near the circle, trying to see how many beers he could get down before he puked or passed out, suddenly snapped to attention. "No, you ain't, young missy."

She rolled her eyes, swaying as she stood up to strip down. "S'not gonna be the skirt, ya idjits." She turned and stumbled drunkenly to the jukebox, which she hid behind. Out of the boys' sight, she fumbled with the buttons of her shirt, taking nearly five minutes to get her fingers to work correctly and unbutton all the way down. She stripped off her bra and hurriedly re-buttoned her shirt, the result being them buttoned crooked. She tottered back to the group and threw her black bra on top of Scorpius's pile of clothes. His grey eyes grew wide at the sight. Tony and Albus guffawed at Scorp's growing red face. She laughed lightly along with them.

Soon, Tony and James passed out and Albus lost, leaving the game between Scorpius and Lily. They were each down to two fingers and Lily had lost her skirt, revealing red cotton knickers and Scorpius had lost his pants. She had laughed for an hour it seemed at his blushing face as he sat down again in green boxers with snitches. She had downed about eight beers herself, Albus about nine, and Scorpius eleven. Albus was lounging, the only one besides them left awake, sipping his tenth whiskey. "Never Have I Ever… been friends with muggles."

Lily groaned at his words. She dropped her hands to take off her next article of clothing, but quickly realized that there was hardly anything left. She looked up and their eyes met for a long time. Unknowingly, both leaned towards each other, sparkling emerald, meeting stormy grey. Suddenly, she grabbed his bare shoulders and pulled him towards her, smashing her lips against his like it was the only chance to save her life. His lips that tasted of rum melded against her before his tongue gained entrance to her mouth. She traced the muscles of his chest as his fingers twisted in her loose hair, tangling the wavy mess into an even worse disaster, though she couldn't get herself worked up about it. His fingers as light as feathers, sent chills up her spin as they moved down her body and touched the bare skin where her shirt was riding up. Their tongues fought for dominance and Lily found him leaning back on the ground, pulling her on top of him. From somewhere, she heard Albus laugh like a dunce and say, "Yeh're gonna get in trouble!" But she was only aware of the fingers now beginning to make their way up her shirt, tracing her smooth skin.

"_**WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?**_" She jerked up at the reaction, trying to calm the dizziness that caused black spots to dance in her vision. It seemed suddenly that there were three Harry Potters glaring down at her. She blushed despite her drunken state, realizing that being mostly naked while snogging Scorpius _did not_ look very good to her father. With a bit of trouble, unsure which ones were the doubles and which were real, she saw that teenagers were strewn over the place like her dolls when she grew bored of playing with them as a child. The jukebox still played some rock band in the background, but her ears were ringing too loudly for her to make out what was playing. Scorpius beneath her seemed just as confused as she felt with messy platinum hair.

Harry heaved her off of the floor and saw the bra and skirt on Scorpius's pile of clothes. Obviously trying not to bust any veins, he slowly said, "Put your clothes on, _right now_, Lily Luna." He heaved James out of a pile of his own puke with a disgusted look. With a flourish of his wand, Harry wiped the mess away from everything, the empty beer bottles zooming to the trash and the puke cleaned away. Albus's beer bottle began to wiggle away, and he ran after it, only to stumble headfirst into the trashcan, along with everything else. Harry yanked him out and shoved them towards the masses of clothes. Not needing to be told twice, the four drunken teenagers hurriedly slipped into clothes, whether they were theirs or not. James ended up with Scorpius's jacket and Al with James's pants. Lily found the barrette and slipped it into her messy hair. When they looked somewhat presentable, Harry grabbed Albus and Scorpius (trying to strangle the boy, it seemed) by their collars and marched them out the door, James and Lily staggering along behind him. It wasn't long, though, before Lily stumbled and fell, scratching her arm and knee on the concrete like a child. She sniffled and tried to stand up, only to fall down again and scratch her hand. Harry sighed and picked her up, carrying her in his strong arms easily, letting the boys follow behind.

It wasn't long before Lily fell into a fit of giggles. "Daddy, you have three heads! You never told me you were gonna get three more heads! Why didn't you tell me?"

He sighed. "Lily, you stink like beer."

She giggled in response. When they reached the house, Harry shoved the boys in first, trying to restrain his anger now that they were home. Ginny, in her pink nightgown, gasped and stood up when she saw the state her children were in. "What happened?"

Harry kept from taking his anger out on his wife. "They got drunk."

Ginny frowned and led the boys up the stairs carefully, even Scorpius. She led each boy into their room, closing the door once she had settled them into bed with trashcans in case they woke up and couldn't make it to the bathroom. She let Scorpius sleep in the guest bedroom, and opened the door to Lily's room so that Harry could lay her on her bed. With one last trashcan placed beside the bed, all the children were out, and all that could be done was waiting for them to wake up. Ginny gently took her husband's hand and led him to the kitchen table downstairs where she forced him to sit as she made some hot cocoa. As out of season as it may have been, it never failed to calm every member of her family. When she set the steaming cup in front of him, she settled down in the chair beside him, snuggling in close beside him. "Now, will you tell me what happened—your side of it?"

He sighed. Even though it was two in the morning, he told her about finding their daughter snogging none other than a Malfoy with nothing but her knickers and a shirt on while he only had boxers. He ranted and raved about the irresponsibility and how Lily would be grounded for the rest of her life for doing something so stupid. Ginny waited, quietly listening until his rant subsided into ragged breaths from the lack of oxygen during the lecture to no one in particular. When he was finished, she shifted in her seat and said, "You know, I got drunk when I was in fourth year."

Harry, who had just taken a sip of the barely-touched hot chocolate, spewed it across the table. Ginny calmly stood up, retrieving a towel to mop it up with. "You _what?"_

"I got drunk," she answered mildly. "I did it on a dare. It was Firewhiskey, making me much worse than Lily was. I got drunk a lot in my fifth and sixth year, too. Especially my sixth. It helped me escape the world's troubles for a few hours."

"B-but…" he was at loss for words, watching her with a stunned expression as though someone had Stupified him as she wiped up the mess. "Why the hell would you do something like that?"

She looked at him with fierce brown eyes. "It wasn't just you that suffered during the war, Harry. It affected me, too. I had my first drink after the Christmas break that year. Remember? That's the year you saw my father almost get killed by that damn snake. I was so worried about you and Dad that instead of denying the dare like I had done once before, I gave in to it. In my fifth year, I did it before I started dating you because Dean Thomas said it would be fun. And then in sixth…" she faltered, pausing. She sighed. "I drank because I wasn't even sure you were still alive, Harry. Voldemort used the _Prophet_ to spread lies about you being dead, but I could never be sure. And after Fred died…"

Harry sighed. "It's okay, Gin. So you drank at school. I can deal with that because it's the past. And I didn't know about it until now. But I won't stand for Lily drinking. Your brothers weren't there to tell you how wrong it was. But hers were and they just got drunk with her!"

"Harry, let it be," she told him softly. "I'm not telling you that you shouldn't just let them off for free, but I'm saying that you should get some rest and relax before I have to take you to St. Mungo's. I'm going to floo Scorpius's parents and tell them that he's staying here for the night if that's all right with them. They're probably beside themselves with worry." As she passed by Harry to get to the fireplace, she gave him a feather-light kiss on the lips. "Don't worry yourself to death."

OoOxXxOoO

Lily groaned at the feeling of someone hammering nails into her head. She opened her eyes, only to be blinded by bright light that hurt her eyes and intensified the hammering. A sudden nausea built up in her stomach from seemingly nowhere, and she turned on her bed over the edge, to face the pink and purple trash can. She was violently sick for almost five minutes, heaving up anything she had eaten in the past month it seemed. "Seems like someone finally woke up."

She groaned. "Please don't yell; it hurts too much." The throbbing pain felt like her head would randomly shatter at any moment.

She squinted her eyes open just a crack to see her mother's beautiful red hair sliding over her shoulder as she placed something in Lily's hand. "Drink this." She obediently undid the stopper through the haze of pain and tipped the tiny vile of blue liquid into her mouth, letting it sear down her throat in a much more comfortable way than the beer.

The pain almost instantly began receding from her head and she opened her eyes all the way. Her mum wrinkled her nose at something. "Please go take a bath, Lily. You smell like a hobo."

Her daughter smiled, in a much better mood than she first had been, and threw herself out of bed. She grabbed spare clothes and went into her mum's shower, seeing as the one she shared with her brothers was occupied. She washed her hair four times to scrub out the smell of beer and puke that seemed to cling to her hair and skin. After she got out of the shower, she sprayed herself with her favorite perfume of her mum's before drying her hair. She put on a pair of shorts and a sports shirt. Knowing that she probably wouldn't live to see the rest of her life if she went downstairs, she prolonged her getting ready until her stomach felt like it would tear itself open if she didn't eat.

Downstairs, everyone had already gathered and was eating lunch, even, she noted with shock, Scorpius, who chatted easily with Albus as he picked a roll out of the basket. She almost skipped in and sat in the open seat beside Scorpius. "You spent the night?" she asked him sweetly. "I don't remember that."

He shrugged. "Neither do I, but I'm guessing I don't remember a lot of things from last night. Did you enjoy your party, Flower?"

She laughed. "I'm not sure. I can only remember the first half. But I enjoyed that part." She couldn't help but noticed that Harry and Ginny watched the short conversation like a pair of hawks. Her dad, who was sitting beside her on the end of the table, looked at her curiously, like she was someone else.

"What _do_ you remember from last night, Lily?" he interrogated.

She shrugged. "After we started playing Never Have I Ever, everything went fuzzy. I remember you had three heads though. What happened to the other two?" Everyone laughed.

But Harry kept prodding. "Do you remember anything else?"

She wracked her brain for any information but came up empty. When she shrugged, Harry turned the question to Scorpius. He mentioned something about James puking, but other than that, he came up blank as well. No one else could contribute much after they started playing the game. With a slight bit of awe, Harry and Ginny exchanged a knowing look.

_They never knew they snogged._

**Mwahahahaha! I'm so evil aren't I? Go ahead and tell me how much you hate me in a review. Lol. But did you like it? I've never had much experience in writing about drunk people, so how did I do? So my new update is gonna be no later than Wednesday! And then the chapter after that should be **_**very**_** interesting. Mwahahahaha! I would have posted this sooner if I didn't have stupid Geometry homework, but I'm proud I got it done!**


	17. Facing Roses and Fears

**My super awesome update is here! Sorry it's a day late, but I just couldn't seem to concentrate! Lol, thanks to everyone who reviewed on the last chapter, and I can't wait for the one after this! Please review if you are super psyched about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One coming out today!**

Chapter 17: Facing Roses and Fears

Lily swerved past the flattened figure on a broom clad in yellow. She struggled to see past the pelting rain to find the little golden ball flying ahead of them. The boy with dark hair noticed her and suddenly crashed into her, the force throwing her off course as Jonah Campton, the commentator, yelled, "Oohh! It looks like that must've hurt Potter! But she's right back on course! She's definitely not going to give that snitch up to Hufflepuff without a fight!" Lily paced her heavy breathing through her chapped lips with care, pacing herself slightly. She found the opening of space where the heavy wind caused the other Seeker to slow down a moment to regain his bearings, and she dove at breakneck speed to catch the snitch. The little trinket brushed her gloved hand before it dove downward, and she followed at her high speed without hesitation, only wanting to end the rather dreadful match. She smiled when she caught the snitch, but the ground suddenly materialized out of the ground and she slipped off of her broom, smashing into the relentless ground, smearing herself with mud.

Cheers were heard over the heavy winds and suddenly, Albus and James, just as smothered in mud as she was, hauled her out of the mud and boosted her onto their shoulders. "Good job, Lilsies!" James shouted up with her. "We won the first match of the year!" She laughed at the sight of him, looking very un-captain-ish. He had gotten the Quidditch Captain after McLaggen had graduated last year, and, so far, he seemed to be doing a fairly good job. The new chaser, their cousin, Roxanne Weasley, laughed and made sure she didn't just fall off. They threaded their way amidst the crowds in drenched red and gold colors, making their way to the castle.

When they finally clambered all the way up to Gryffindor Tower, everyone still caked in mud, the party went into full swing. Someone turned on the music to some fist-pumping song, and couples began swaying to the music. Pumpkin Pasties (reserved just for the occasion of winning) and a ton of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans were set out on one of the tables and already, some older boys were dealing out poker cards, probably wishing to try their luck. "Hey," Roxy noticed with a tad of disappointment to the Potters, "Someone has to go get the butterbeer. Which of you three are going to do it?"

They all exchanged glances. "Well, I'm captain. I don't have to do it."

Lily rolled her eyes at James's words just as Albus was about to retort. She sighed. "Gimme the map. I'll do it." He handed over the parchment, and she went upstairs quickly to change into something not smothered in mud. She tromped down the stairs, receiving compliments on the game as she rushed away from the party. She was feeling slightly uncomfortable at a huge party like this although Gryffindors had shown off their loyalty in much more raucous ways than this. Her ears were still ringing with the harsh scolding her father had given her after her birthday party over the summer.

After her birthday party, she (along with most of the other kids at the party) had been grounded for the rest of the summer and next summer. But now, she was turning back to her recently acquired freedom that came from being away from parents' reach and at Hogwarts. The children had already pulled their prank on the school and kids were _still_ having trouble with their underpants randomly bursting into song in the middle of class, and a few had been bitten by their underpants. It was one of those legendary moves that were so fantastic that Professor Longbottom got them off practically free. Scorpius had helped this year with the Slytherins (causing much surprise with Lily when her brothers readily agreed to his joining and helping), and had been a fantastic help seeing as now all the boys were prefects, Albus and Scorpius having just received their badges.

She pondered over the past two months as she quietly tapped through the corridors. She checked the map very often, cautious not to run into Filch, especially without her invisibility cloak. She was watching the dot wandering the corridors on the first floor that read _Scorpius Malfoy_ when she noticed another much closer dot. _Rose Weasley_ was sitting in an old Transfiguration classroom, unmoving. Curious as to why her cousin wouldn't be celebrating with the other Gryffindors or off snogging Zach Smith, who was still her boyfriend, Lily followed the path and found the door behind which Rose was hiding, left slightly ajar. She quietly eased the door open and peeked in, wondering if she really wanted to know what _Rosie,_ queen of the tramps, was doing in an abandoned classroom. Instead, she found the girl reading. Her hair did not have its usual charm to keep it straight and sleek but rather was looking a bit less manageable than usual.

"Rosie?" Lily asked cautiously as she opened the door further to step inside. "What are you doing in here?"

"Reading," the girl prefect said sourly. "Go away. Or I'll dock some of those points you just won Gryffindor."

"Honestly, Rose?" Lily asked, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes. "Since when have you missed out on a Gryffindor party? You should come join the fun."

Her hair was falling in her face, keeping it partially obscured from the younger girl's view. "I have to catch up on my homework."

But her voice broke, selling out the lie. Lily stepped closer to her cousin, and gingerly put a hand on her shoulder, afraid that Rose would hex her for doing so. "What's wrong Rosie?"

"Zach dumped me!" she wailed, obviously dying to tell someone before she began sobbing and threw herself into Lily's small arms, her heavy book falling to the floor with a loud, neglected thud.

Lily awkwardly patted her head, wishing there was something more she could do to help her… like hex the boy into oblivion, like every other Potter and Weasley would do. She held Rose tightly and let herself cry until there were no tears left, any thought of butterbeer sliding out of her mind. When she had finished staining Lily's fresh clothes, Rose sniffled and meekly slipped back into her seat. Lily pulled up a seat beside her. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

Rosie sniffled again, hesitating before she slowly nodded. After a few hiccups she managed to make some sort of sorry monologue. "I-I was so h-happy that Gryffindor won—because when would I be upset about that? B-but Zach saw m-me celebrating and c-completely blew up… H-he said th-that I was a-an awful g-girlfriend f-for not supporting him –and broke up with me…"

"Aw," Lily cooed, realizing that she sounded a lot like her grandmother comforting her when she had fallen and scraped her knee. "You poor thing. You don't need a boy like him though. He didn't respect you, Rosie." She had seen the way his fingers crawled over her skin like an infection as much as she disliked witnessing it.

Another sob erupted from Rosie. "B-b-but th-that's just the thing! I-I-I gave h-h-him everyth-thing a-and h-he left me!"

"What do you mean by everything?" Lily asked suspiciously.

She sobbed again, looking even smaller than Lily. "Y-you r-remember h-how I-I told you th-that I just made it _look_ l-like I had sex…?" Rosie asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Her bloodshot, red-rimmed, crystal eyes searched Lily's emerald ones for forgiveness of the scandal she had committed.

"Rosie, you didn't," her cousin said with a startled gasp.

She nodded miserably. "I-it w-was only a-a c-couple of w-weeks a-ago, t-too." She sobbed loudly and buried her face in her arms as new tears stained her cheeks. Her hair was and even worse mess than when Lily had first found her, and, for probably the only time in her life, Rose Jean Weasley didn't care about what she looked like. Lily took her in her arms again and wished that there was a way she could make everything better. "A-and h-he already has a-another girlfriend!" Rose wailed loudly. "Sh-she's s-some i-idiot b-blonde Hufflepuff a-and h-he w-was sn-snogging her! R-r-r-right after h-he d-d-dumped me!"

"Oh, Rose," Lily murmured helplessly at the mess laid at her feet.

"I-I'm s-surprised h-he has l-lips still, a-although h-he c-can't u-use them till h-he gets o-out of the hospital w-wing," Rose muttered darkly.

Lily's eyes widened. "You didn't." When her cousin nodded against her shoulder, she fell into a stunned silence. Only a Weasley would hex a boy right after he broke up with her instead of crying straightaway. If she had had the heart, she would have smiled at her cousin's perseverance, but instead she started formulating her own plans to make Zach Bloody-Well-Dead Smith squeal like a little girl. Maybe string him up a flagpole. She could easily transfigure one of those onto the grounds, and, after that, tying his underwear to it would be rather simple.

"B-but please don-t tell anyone," Rose asked after she had once again run out of tears. "I-I d-don't want e-every bloody person I'm related to, to try and beat him u-up. I can t-take care of th-that myself." With a stubborn nod of her head she looked to Lily.

With a slight smirk, she answered, "Only if you let me hex him good. You're the closest thing I have to a sister, and I don't let my sister get hurt." Rosie smiled and hugged Lily, almost squeezing the breath out of her.

When she finally managed to writhe out of her death grip, she pulled on her hand. "C'mon, Rose. Come with me to Hogsmeade and we'll get the butterbeer. Half of Gryffindor Tower is probably ready to send out a search party for me if I don't come back soon."

Rose managed a weak laugh and followed her through the corridors and behind the gargoyle to the path to Hogsmeade. Before she folded the map back up and erased it to hide its secret from any teachers, she saw the little _Scorpius Malfoy_ dot moving aimlessly through the halls it seemed, although she noticed that he was headed towards the gargoyle, where Rose and Lily had just escaped from. They slipped easily out of the basement of Honeydukes (Rose took the largest lollipop she could find and replaced it with a galleon) and easily crept through the chilly air into the Three Broomsticks, where Madame Rosmerta was cleaning empty tables. When she looked up at the tinkle of the door chime, she grinned. "Ah, Gryffindor won again, did they? It seems every time they play, I get one of the Potters looking for butterbeer."

She handed them a huge case of butterbeer which Rosie staggered beneath the weight of as Lily paid her the correct amount. Together, they made their way back up to the tower, sharing the weight of the butterbeer, whispering quietly of their childhood adventures. They were almost caught when Mrs. Norris (Harry always seemed amazed that the old 'fudgebag' was still alive and searching for students out of bed) startled them, but Rosie levitated the case and they ran like fire was at their heels, laughing the entire time. Lily was glad that she could solicit a laugh out of Rose, although it did not reach her eyes like it usually did. Together, they wheezed out the password and stumbled through the door to the awaiting party that was going full blast.

Someone had hung up a Gryffindor banner with the lion that roared at various times and others were swaying to the Weird Sisters blasted over a radio. Kids lounged around, a few playing Spin the Bottle already and some just sitting in a corner snogging. An uneasy Lily handed over the butterbeer to James who shouted to everyone who could still hear that the best part of all had finally arrived. Lily, though, didn't stick around to even try it. She was not going to get even the slightest bit tipsy from that stuff. She excused herself claiming that she still had some Potion's homework to finish and look over and escaped to her dorm. Rose remained and drank a few butterbeers, trying to fit in with the rest of the party.

When she finally made it upstairs, Lily collapsed on her bed, only to have a dark grey out hoot and ruffle his feathers at the sudden intrusion. He held out his leg and allowed her to untie the little letter tied to his leg. She undid the seal and opened the envelope, pulling out a folded letter. When she finally managed to pry it open, she smiled in recognition of the elegant script.

_Lily-Flower,_

_Just thought I would congratulate you on the well-played game. But you'd best be on your watch. I have been practicing more techniques and won't hold out on you when the Slytherin vs. Gryffindor game comes around._

_But I have something important to tell you. I will be gone for the next few days; Madam Wilkinson is sending me to be with my family. I have just received news that my grandfather died. I really wish I didn't have to leave, but Father says that it is my responsibility (and I have to claim whatever I get from his will.). Although, I don't see why I will get anything or have any responsibility owed to him. I never even met the man! You probably know that my grandfather was put in Azkaban after the defeat of the Dark Lord, and I was born way after that. I wish I could stay. _

_I'll miss you, Flower,_

_Scorpius H. Malfoy_

She sank onto the bed, her excitement dying and something else replacing it. It was like the butterflies that filled her stomach every time she was on the verge of reading another one of his letters, but it felt more like she was going to be sick. She wondered desperately how long he would be away as she scrambled around for parchment to reply with.

XxXoOoXxX

Lily sighed as she fell into her seat in Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Of course no one she was really close to was in this class this year, seeing as it was only the Gryffindors in this class besides Hugo who was already sitting with his own friends with no space for Lily. She reluctantly sat in the back, hoping that no one would choose to sit by her. But unfortunately all the other seats were taken and a muggleborn, Olivia Lyans, had to sit beside her. The girl had a ragged mane of curly brown hair and hazel eyes hidden behind glasses that she kept pushing up the bridge of her nose. A splattering of freckles almost put the Weasleys to shame, and from what Lily had seen of her, she was a scatterbrained girl, always afraid she was doing something wrong. Although it was her fourth year at Hogwarts, she still seemed unsure the place was real. "U-umm, hi," she said quietly as she sat down beside Lily.

Lily tried to smile although it might have been more of a grimace. "Hello. Your name's Olivia, isn't it?"

She nodded, pushing her glasses up again. "Yes. I know who you are, though. You're Lily Potter, daughter of the Boy-Who-Lived and the Seeker for our Quidditch team. It'd be a little hard to not know who you are, seeing as the whole school's been talking about you…"

"What do you mean the whole school has been talking about me?" Lily asked a little sharper than she had intended.

"W-well, i-it's just th-that—" she seemed too nervous to continue as she pushed her glasses up again and sniffling, reminding Lily very much of Moaning Myrtle. Lily tried to be patient, reminding herself that she still had a stuttering problem sometimes, too, but she found it unbearably hard. "th-there have been r-rumors going around…"

"Rumors about what?" She asked through gritted teeth.

"U-uh," obviously intimidated by Lily's gradually growing anger, she whispered, "p-people say th-that you a-and Scorpius M-Malfoy are secretly dating."

Her emerald eyes got wide. "Why would anyone even think that, though? We've been friends since the beginning of last year!"

She nodded quickly, obviously trying to avoid getting hurt by some of Lily's anger. Olivia stuttered, "Th-they say th-that y-you've been getting and s-sending letters. Th-that you g-guys always g-go hide somewhere when you hang out, i-in places that y-you shouldn't b-be."

Lily growled at the mention of the letters. She had kept every single one of her letters from Scorpius and tucked them away in a box beneath her bed. She had fallen asleep last night with his most recent in her hands. Scorpius had just written to tell her that he would be back soon, and she had been so ecstatic that she jumped around the room and still had the letter when she fell asleep. He was supposed to be at breakfast this morning, but Alicia had told her that he got in late last night and had slept through breakfast. She stood up and marched up to the front of the class where a certain group of girls were gossiping as they waited for Professor Corsche to finally start teaching.

Amanda Thomas, obviously the center of the group looked up with a smirk. "Are you happy, Thomas?" Lily asked with a sneer. "You've got my whole family ready to kill me by lunch. Why the hell would you spread those rumors?"

She laughed, her graceful curls bouncing slightly. Her blue eyes reopened and she smiled daintily. "Did Lily need a substitute for her teddy bear last night? She couldn't have her precious Scorpius. Tell me, when are you two going to go public? Will it be soon now that I've spilled the secret?"

"There was no secret to spill," Lily said with a hiss, pulling her wand out.

"Now, now, Miss Potter, let's leave our wands for when we do the real spells today," Corsche said as he came in, levitating a giant box that rocked like a boat before he set it down with a loud thud in a clear space of the classroom. With a flourish of his wand, the desks had been moved back as all the children scrambled out of their seats. "Today, I have a treat for you all. It may be more of a review, but I still think the lesson will be beneficial. Who can tell me what a boggart is?"

Lily sighed with slight disappointment. It would be a funny, yet tedious lesson, and she really wasn't in the mood for any sort of class. After they explained the charm to repel a boggart, everyone formed a straight line in front of the huge box that shuddered as though the boggart was trying to escape. Corsche undid the lock and the lid sprang open to reveal Harriet Jensons worst fear: a dismembered hand that crawled across the floor. Another boy was afraid of Madame Wilkinson, and Hugo (as true to his father as ever) whimpered uneasily when a spider formulated before him. When it was finally her turn, she stepped up to the front, brandishing her wand, the charm _Riddikulus _ on the tip of her tongue as the spider whirled into something she couldn't quite tell at first.

Suddenly, Mortellea stood before her, a black dress swirling down to her feet and her wand pointed at Lily. "Poor Lily, is she losing her love yet again? Rumors do nasty things to people." Lily's mouth went dry and her wand clattered to the floor; this was not a boggart but the very vile woman herself. She clicked her tongue at Lily's response. "How are you going to defend yourself without your wand?"

Lily scrambled to pick it up, hardly pulling away when she sent a hex towards her outstretched hand. The people behind her that she just then remembered squealed in fright and she could hear Corsche saying something but she couldn't make out what it was. She aimed her wand at Mortellea. "I'm gonna kill you for what you did to those people. I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do." She threw a hex at the woman, forgetting to even say it aloud in her fury.

The blue flash of light was easily deflected and the woman laughed. "I'm not here for you this time, sweetheart. I'm here for something to accomplish." Lily saw her black, glittering eyes scan the crowd until she located little Olivia shrinking behind the crowd of people cowering in fear.

"No," she said in her deadliest tone.

But already, Mortellea was raising her wand, pointing it to the trembling little girl with her glasses sliding down her nose. Her lips pulled back in a sneer, revealing her perfectly aligned teeth. _"Avada Ked—"_

"_Crucio!"_ Before she even understood what was happening, Lily had raised her wand and with a flourish, said the word that sent the woman screeching in pain, the screams clawing at the ears of everyone in the class. The shrieks rose to inhuman volumes that had people running from the classroom, but Lily opened herself and poured every desolate and angry emotion she had ever experienced flow through her wand and into what had now just become any regular boggart. Sensing the danger, she must have left shortly after the torture began, only able to hold the shape in place for a certain amount of time anyways. Lily found that it was quite useless to continue with that, and she released the spell, cutting off her energy. Her knees were wobbling and caused her to stumble to the ground and faint.

OoOxXxOoO

The first thing Lily was conscious of when she woke up was the voices of many people mumbling so that she couldn't make out what they were saying. She squeezed her eyes more, thinking that it was the girls in her dorm getting ready, and she fervently wished that they would let her go back to bed and skip classes. She rolled on her soft mattress and immediately realized she couldn't find her pillow. She groped around blindly for a moment before her emerald eyes fluttered open with severe irritation.

And everything flooded back to her.

She sat up groggily and found that someone had transfigured a cot to the side of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class and laid her on it. Unfamiliar students openly stared at her, whispering to their neighbors for gossip. They must have been the next class after hers seeing as not one wore a Gryffindor tie and all of them were much taller, and probably older. Relief fell through her stomach like it was a pit when she noticed a shock of platinum hair and the dark long hair that had been swirled into a bun for the day.

"Here, you had best eat this. It helps with the nerves," Professor Corsche said gruffly when he broke into her line of sight, handing her a whole bar of chocolate. His eyes that were brown upon closer consideration, completely avoided her face, but he looked over her arms and legs, making sure that she hadn't broken anything or gotten any cuts.

She gagged and threw it to the side. "There is no way I'm eating that without puking. I can't eat chocolate."

"Why not?" he asked, stubbornly retrieving the chocolate and forcing it into her unwilling hands. "It helps if you would eat it. Then, once you feel better, then you can go to your next class and I can get on with mine!"

She put the chocolate at her feet, her lips forming a slight pout. "I won't eat it! I hate chocolate!"

Corsche threw his hands up in frustration. "You Potters are impossible!"

"Why, thank you," she said smartly.

He glared at her. "Go to the Headmistress's office. Now. And tell her I'll be up in ten minutes."

She staggered to her feet with a nod. She felt so lightheaded that she swayed when she stood up, the room suddenly turning in crazy circles, and she fell into someone's arms, unable to keep herself very upright. "Sir, perhaps I should take her there and ensure that she doesn't hurt herself on the way up there."

She couldn't see his face, seeing as she was still trying to asses if she had done any damage to her ankle that felt like fire was burning through it from her klutzy movement as he spoke. "I suppose… but do you need to stay in class and catch up on your lessons?" She heard how hesitant he was and resisted a hiss.

Scorpius gently moved her to his side, still hanging onto her waist that tingled at his touch. "I can get any notes from Alicia, and perhaps I could find someone to catch me up on the practical lessons. But I'm prefect and it's my duty to help her if she needs it." He spoke with such authority that Lily couldn't help but believe his every word.

Professor Corsche nodded in defeat. "Fine. Don't go anywhere else but the Headmistress's."

"Of course, Professor," Scorpius answered respectfully and he all but carried her out of the room as she limped slightly. When they got out of the classroom, they both breathed a sigh of relief. She leaned against the stone wall, trying not to put much weight on the twisted ankle. "How do you always get yourself into these situations?" he asked, shaking his head, bending down to gently take her foot as he took out his wand at the same time. He easily healed her ankle, but it grew very hot after he said the spell and then went icy cold. She shivered at the feel.

When he stood up, his grey eyes boring into her, she absently rubbed one of her silver-white runes and looked down. "I saw her again," she whispered quietly, hoping against hope that he wouldn't be angry. She inwardly groaned when she heard his irritated sigh. He wrapped his arm around her waist again and led her through the corridors without a word at first.

Just as Lily started to get worried that he would never tell her what was on his mind, he said, "What happened this time? Hwy was Professor Corsche so put out with you?"

She hung her head. She couldn't bear to tell Scorpius. It was going to be another disappointment. "I used the Crucatius Curse again. I didn't mean to; I just kinda _did._"

"Another vision?" he clarified, not even bothering to ask who they were talking about.

She shook her head, her emerald eyes watching her trainers intently, even when she felt his eyes burning her and causing her to blush. "A boggart. She sort of… possessed it, because she's what it turned into when I faced it. She tried to kill Olivia, and I had to stop her. I blurted the first words that came to my lips, but I didn't stop until she went away. I'm so dead." Lily hung her head and leaned against Scorpius's shoulder for comfort.

He gently led her without another word to the great gargoyle. He muttered the password and helped her onto the rotating stairs. When they reached the door, Scorpius politely knocked, but it was obvious that she was dealing with another visitor, seeing as she was screeching in her usual lecture tone. "_What child randomly decided that he's going to try to levitate his professor into the Great Lake? I don't care how tiny Professor Flitwick is, and how you were 'practicing for the day's test'! Detention for two months, Mr. Potter! And I'm flooing your parents immediately! You can sit in here while you wait for all I care!"_

"Oh, Sweet Merlin," Lily whispered in distress. "Aren't I the luckiest person in the world? Of course, James would get Mum and Dad sent here today of all days!"

Scorpius tried to hide his grin, only barely passing, and opened the door. "Madame Wilkinson, Lily Potter's here."

"_And just what the hell did you do?"_ A very displeased Wilkinson asked with exasperation, her hair falling down in great chunks from her bun and her face beet red. Scorpius gently helped Lily into the seat on the bench beside a curious James, and she cowered into the back of the seat.

"I-I-I—" Lily couldn't find her voice, and when she was on the verge of tears at the thought of going to Azkaban after she told Madame Wilkinson what happened, the headmistress sighed and stalked to the other side of the office.

"I don't care. I don't even want to hear the excuses you no doubt have perfectly rehearsed like your brother here. I'm flooing your parents. Stay right there, or you'll all have detention until you graduate." She huffily went up the stairs in the corner of her office, taking the bag of green powder with her.

"So what happened this time, lil sis?" James asked, in quite the cheery mood for having just received the news that he would have detention for two months and Harry and Ginny would get to come to yell at him in person. He punched her arm lightly before wrapping it around her shoulder and pulling her closer to him. He sent a questioning look to Scorpius who shrugged, completely lost as well, even though he had an explanation in the hallway.

"D'you think they'll let me go tell everyone goodbye before they ship me off to Azkaban?" she asked the boys softly, her little voice barely piercing the silence that congealed in the room.

"Why would they do that, Lilsies?" James asked, his brows furrowing in confusion. He held her a little tighter against him when he felt her distress.

"I performed the Crucatius Curse," she whispered miserably.

James was obviously hoping that she was joking, but when no one laughed, he asked, "Why the hell did you do that?"

But before she could say anything else, Madame Wilkinson marched down the stairs. "Your parents will be here shortly. Why doesn't someone explain to me why Lily is here while we're waiting?" She sat down at her desk, rubbing her hands over her face with tiredness. "And is there a reason you're still here, Mr. Malfoy? Should I be getting your parents, too?"

He went crimson and stuttered, "N-no, I-I'm here t-to make sure that Lily's okay. You don't have t-to talk to them."

In two minutes, Ginny and Harry were storming up the steps of the gargoyle. Harry opened the door with a bang. "Where is that kid?" he growled, still in his nice suit robes that he wore to the ministry every day. He saw the kids huddled around that bench and stalked over to them. He pointed at James. "Just what the hell are you trying to pull, mister?"

Ginny followed in behind him, her hands and face smeared with flour. She still had the wooden spoon she must have been using to cook with, and, as soon as James was in her reach, she walloped him good with it. "What were you thinking—_throwing your professor in the Great Lake?_"

"Ow!" James said, cowering beside Lily in fear. She abandoned him, hopping off of the bench, trying to avoid the vicious beatings with the spoon she might receive part of if he got too close. "Thanks, Lils," he muttered before pleading with his parents. "I was practicing for the review Charms test he said we were going to have!"

He cried out again when he received another red, spoon-shaped mark on his forearm. "Hey! Since when is physical abuse allowed! You could get reported for beating your children. Don't you love me?"

Harry's face was getting very red. "I just had to leave an important meeting with the ministry for _this!_ Merlin's dirty underpants! James Sirius Potter, can't you learn how to behave?"

He sent her a half-apologetic grimace before he yelled, "Lily tortured someone! She used the Crucatius curse on someone in class!"

Ginny froze mid-whack. "James Sirius Potter! We _do not_ joke about that kind of stuff!"

"But he's not joking, Mum," Lily whispered, just barely loud enough for her parents to hear her.

"Lily," Harry said slowly, reaching out and taking gingerly in his arms. "What are you talking about?"

She swallowed convulsively, intensely feeling each set of eyes on her tiny little figure. "W-w-well, I-I-I had t-t-to face a b-b-boggart, a-and i-it t-turned into M-Mortellea." She kept her eyes on the ground as she spoke, never having felt as ashamed as she did then in her entire life. "Sh-she s-sort of—p-possessed the b-boggart and t-t-tried to k-kill O-Olivia L-Lyans, a-a-a-a-and I sort o-of reacted. I-I didn't m-mean to at first, b-but when I-I realized what I w-was doing, I-I kept doing it. I-I kept trying t-to make it st-stronger." She sniffled a little, feeling the rise and fall of her father's chest as he breathed slowly in and out.

Madame Wilkinson, obviously about t fall out of her chair with surprise, finally broke the silence. "M-Mr. Potter, this is your area of discipline as head of the Auror Department. What should we do about this?"

Emerald met emerald, and Lily began to shake with fear. She had no doubt that she would be punished for what happened, but she wasn't sure how far her father would go. Whatever it was, she knew that he would have to put his duty to the ministry first. She had committed a crime guaranteed to send anyone to Azkaban with a lifetime sentence, for Merlin's sake! Suddenly, Professor Corsche raged in and went into his own monologue of what happened. She had practically screamed the curse, and winced slightly when she realized that basically everyone in her D.A.D.A class would have heard what she said. Harry held her in that same gentle way the entire time, hardly moving since he had first taken her in his arms.

When he had finished, Harry scrutinized each person in the room, saving Lily for last. His eyes were still running over her cautiously, like she was a china doll that could explode at any moment, when he said, "Kids, why don't you go back to your classes? It seems we have some things to discuss with the teachers."

Lily slowly pulled out of his arms, and instead, Scorpius's hand found hers as they huddled at the doorway with James. When Ginny shooed them out, they grudgingly made their way down the steps, and off to the Room of Requirement by silent agreement, none of them having the slightest intention of going to their classes.

Back in the headmistress's office, Harry was pacing back and forth, sweat beginning to form on his forehead. He wiped it away nervously with a handkerchief, his heart hammering. There was no doubt that she had done it; why else would she have openly admitted it? That meant Azkaban for any grown wizard, but she was still in school. Would they have to expel her and break her wand as happened to Hagrid almost seventy years ago? Every one watched him in silence, the only other sound beside his shoes on the floor being the rather annoying tick of the clock. He saw the portrait of Headmaster Dumbledore and halted in front of it suddenly.

His blue eyes twinkled, just as electric as when he was still alive. "Did you come to visit me again, Harry? It's been quite some time since I've seen you." He had a light smile about his lips although Harry found nothing remotely humorous.

"What do I do, Professor?" he asked childishly, reminding himself of when he still went to Hogwarts as the student.

It was the portrait of Severus Snape who answered. "Well, don't expel her, and definitely do not send her to Azkaban. She's still just a little girl."

"But she fully realized what she was doing," Harry debated, running an angry hand through his hair, not even caring that he looked exactly like his father had and now had messed up his carefully brushed hair. "She admitted it though. That has to count for something." He looked to every painting and every person in the room with the same torn, pleading look.

Madame Wilkinson was writing on a piece of parchment muttering to the others in the room. "So detention for the rest of the year, and banned from any Hogsmeade visits for the rest of her years at Hogwarts and a severe warning given. Does that sound good enough for you, Mr. Potter?"

He couldn't bear to tell her to ban Lily from Quidditch seeing as she loved to play it so much, but he said, "You might as well ban her from Quidditch starting next year for the rest of her school years as well. It's too late to get a replacement Seeker, but she needs to be taught. This isn't something to be taken lightly, and I think that not only her, but the whole school needs to see this." He sighed, massaging the killer headache forming in his head. Wilkinson nodded and added his part. Ginny gently came over and smoothed down his hair again.

"Harry," she told him quietly, "I hate to do this, but I must get back to the house before it burns down from letting tonight's dinner burn. Why don't you go talk to the children and give them my love." She softly kissed his lips before she left with a forlorn smile.

Wilkinson gave him the parchment with the list of Lily's punishment to take to her when he found them. He couldn't find any of them in their classes, and, on a hunch, he found them in the Room of requirement. The door had been left ajar and he saw them all talking quietly, even Albus who had probably left class after he heard rumors of what happened. Lily had fallen asleep in Scorpius's lap, her mouth open slightly and her features finally relaxed and not under the strain that had caused a little wrinkle on her forehead from being so worried and upset seemingly all the time. The boys were having a quiet discussion that Harry had to concentrate to hear all of the words.

"We can't let her keep wandering around by herself," Albus was insisting, obviously having heard the story.

"But she wasn't wandering around," Scorpius said with a sigh. "We can't protect her from her classes. If they aren't safe, then what are we going to do? Lock her in the Gryffindor Tower?" As he spoke, he brushed the loose copper strands of Lily's hair out of her face watching as she sighed in her sleep.

"As much as I would love to do that," James said sarcastically, "She would hex us then kill us. There's just no way that we can watch her all the time. Scorp, you're just going to have to keep her by you as much as you can outside of class since she would strangle us if we kept invading her privacy. She trusts you. As for her classes, we'll just have to hope that her professors can figure out something."

A silence enveloped the room, and Harry took the time to knock lightly before entering, his mind blown at the fact that the boys were entrusting their sister willingly to a Malfoy! They had formed some sort of alliance without anyone else realizing, and Harry greatly suspected that it had to do with Lily. The boys jumped and put on very good ashamed faces when he entered.

He grimly smiled. "It's time for me to go; I've got to get back to the ministry and see if I can salvage anything from my meeting with Kingsley." He embraced his sons fondly, wishing that he could see them sometime before Christmas.

"What's going to happen to Lily?" Albus asked protectively.

Harry sighed. "You'd better look for a new seeker for the Quidditch team, James. She's not banned until next year though; we knew you couldn't find a replacement this late in the year. It'll crush her when she finds out."

Lily stirred in Scorpius's lap. "Finds what out, Daddy?" she asked with a huge yawn, moving to sit up away from Scorpius. She stretched groggily, her arms trying to reach as high as they could go.

"Here, sweetheart," Harry bent so that he was eye level with Lily who was still sitting. "I love you, but it's time for me to get back, okay?" He gently kissed her forehead and she threw herself into his arms, squeezing him tightly.

Harry stood up to find himself facing a very unsure Scorpius. He glanced at Lily who wasn't paying attention at all but rather trying to rub the sleep away from her eyes. As he shook Scorpius's hand, he muttered, "Take good care of my little girl." A little stunned, the boy nodded, his cheeks slightly flushed. He left quickly after that, unable to bear the disappointment that would pour over Lily like a bucket of water when she read the note.

**I'M FINALLY DONE! I worked so hard on this chapter but I just couldn't concentrate! So I'm sorry it's late, but I still, managed the early update! And this is my longest chapter yet with about 7000 words! As a special treat for everyone (since I'm so excited for the next chapter :D) I've decided to give out the name of the next chapter:**

**The Scorpion's Kisses**

**I'm so happy and I think all of my readers will be too!**

**But please remember to review, and review if you are psyched about Harry Potter 7, and especially if you went to the midnight premier (I would have if my mom had let me D: )!**


	18. Scorpion's Kisses

**Okay, so I know I didn't update last week, but I held it for an extra week because I wanted this chapter to be really good because this is what we have ALL been waiting for! Thanks to everyone who reviewed and tell me what you think of this chapter, even if you don't normally review! Sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes I didn't catch!**

Chapter 18: Scorpion's Kisses

Once again, Lily sat nervously at the Gryffindor table surrounded by the six other members of the Quidditch team clad in red and gold, butterflies fluttering weakly in her stomach as she picked at her food. Rose, the only one of the group who wasn't on the team sat close to her, retying her red and gold, striped scarf nervously. "It might snow today. It would be horrible if you came down with pneumonia or something…"

The older girl was too nervous to see that Lily went rigid and still and her emerald eyes suddenly had a blank stare to them. "It's not going to snow, and I won't get sick today. It's really nothing to worry over."

Pale hands covered her eyes, pulling her roughly from the world of visions that she had not meant to drop into. "Guess who," a familiar voice said loudly, but he was so close that his breath sent shivers of pleasure down her spine and sparked her heart into running a marathon. She fervently hoped that she wouldn't throw up from the combination of nerves and giddiness. She felt as though someone had directly injected electricity into her bloodstream as a playful giggle escaped her throat.

She pretended not to know who it was although her body's reaction had clearly given it away. "Umm… Is it Santa Claus who's come early to give me my presents early since I'm a good little girl?" she asked brightly in a false, high-pitched tone that resembled the voice of a bratty nine-year-old.

She felt his body so close to hers begin to shake with a chuckle. "You haven't been a good girl! Good girls don't make people's underpants sing!"

"Hmmm," she mused thoughtfully. In her falsetto, she asked, "Are you the Easter Bunny? Surely, you've come to give me a ton of candy and help me out of my recent candy withdraw!" She was beginning to find it quite difficult not to laugh by now.

He laughed more this time. "You _need_ to be on candy withdraw or else all of your teeth would rot out! Guess again."

"Well then, since you're so concerned about my teeth, you must be the Tooth fairy who has come to give me a shiny galleon for having healthier teeth because I'm on candy withdraw!"

She could just see his grey eyes, enhanced by the green and silver robes he wore, rolling comically. "One more chance…" he muttered to her softly.

She could hear Roxy and the rest of the Quidditch team chortling at their antics, but Rose was silent beside her. "Okay," she sighed, "If you're _not_ Santa, you're _not_ the Easter Bunny, and you're most definitely _not_ the Tooth Fairy, then I suppose you're Scorpius who has come to surrender already because he knows that Gryffindor will win."

She could almost feel the giddiness radiating off of his body and she was vaguely reminded of a time when his body seemed closer than close to hers and they were pulling each other tighter against each other… She just couldn't seem to remember. "Actually," he answered, still not moving his hands, "I prefer 'The Super Awesome Quidditch God Who Will Completely Obliterate Gryffindor'."

Lily laughed as she removed his hand away from her eyes herself. "You are very cocky and arrogant; I might just have to teach you a lesson or two about respecting your superiors," she mocked with a smile tugging at her lips.

"Is that so?" Scorpius asked, unbearably close to her. She didn't know why he was acting so much less reserved than usual, but it had the butterflies fluttering viciously in her stomach. She knew that he had probably started the game in the first place to pull her out of her visions, but it was almost like he was _flirting_ with her. Something inside her, the little greedy part, told the rational part of her mind to shut up and enjoy the treatment while it lasted. "You'd best be careful; I've been practicing."

Lily stood up, crossed her arms, and glared at the Slytherin prefect. He had refused to practice with her more than once or twice this year, holding his new strategies just out of her reach. But instead they spent their time just hanging out, maybe stuffing themselves in the kitchens or taking a splendid trip to Hogsmeade, although Rose (whose emotional state had been so unbalanced that Lily was afraid to leave her to her own devices) had gone with them most of the time. "You're so evil," she complained.

His infuriating smirk only confirmed what she had said. "Well, M'dear, haven't you always known that scorpions are poisonous?" With a laugh, he took off, running after his friends on the Slytherin team. She sank back into her seat, glaring at his disappearing mop of platinum hair that he had grown out over the summer.

When Roxanne had finished devouring one half of the table of food and James the other, the team made their way down to the Quidditch pitch together, Rose clinging to Lily like a child. Rather used to this after a month or so, Lily gently pried her older cousin off of her arm and excused herself to find her broom.

Madame Hooch reminded the two teams not to have any rough-housing or dirty tricks (still, probably, upset over last year's game), and, after James and the Slytherin captain shook hands, fifteen people flew into the sky at the sound of the referee's whistle. Lily floated around the edges of the fierce game, watching intently for the snitch. The game was only started for a few minutes before fouls broke out and the whistle went off almost continually it seemed. James got battered by a bludger, and, although she could make out the crimson blood flowing from his face, she couldn't see where he had been hurt. Roxy 'accidently' bloodied the nose of one Slytherin when she kicked him in the face. The crowd was very involved in the game, leaning forward in their seats and screaming until they went hoarse. The score was almost always tied, with one team scoring and then the other retaliating and getting their team more points.

Lily was the first one to see the snitch twitching around wildly right in the middle of the game. When she drove straight towards the fray to get the snitch, people thought that she was going to beat the living daylights out of one of the Slytherins that had just hurt Albus, except for Scorpius who followed right after her.

Something, someone pulling on the back of her broomstick, caused her to swerve to the side without any warning and crash into another Slytherin, who roughly shoved her away, trying to unseat her, but only successful in making her head spin. "This is _my_ game," Scorpius hissed to his teammates that had blown the game. Lily didn't have time to reflect on how quickly his manner had changed from flirting to deadly and competitive in so short of a time. She raced after the snitch which dodged into the watching crowd, and people hit the floor as the Seekers zoomed past at over a hundred kilometers per hour. The little bugger darted into the rafters below the stands, and they raced down with it without any hesitation. They precariously avoided slamming into the rafters while also trying to gain the advantage over the other. Scorpius suddenly did some fancy spin through the wooden beams and shot ahead, his hand outstretched to catch the snitch.

Cursing, Lily tried to gain the advantage, but the edge of a rafter caught her broom and sent her spiraling forward. She slammed into Scorpius and his broom, and together they went crashing through another beam before they hit the ground with a thud. She groaned when she fell on top of Scorpius, their brooms landing who knows where.

"Merlin, I hate gravity," she groaned again as she rolled off of him, trying to determine if they were both alright. She was sure she would have a few bruises, but was more concerned about Scorpius. He wordlessly stood up and brushed himself off, turning his back to her. Her heart sank down into her stomach and a wave of nausea hit her. "Merlin, Scorp, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to—"

It took only one of his giant strides to close the distance between them, and he roughly grabbed her, a fierce, almost angry, look in his stormy grey eyes. One hand pulled her body against his and the other pulled her face to him. His lips pressed against hers, and any will she might have had seemed to melt into a puddle at their feet as she wrapped her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his long hair. His tongue asked for entrance, running against her lips, and, without thinking, she opened her mouth, sighing at the feeling of finally doing what she had wanted to for so long. But it wasn't his tongue entering her mouth, but rather something hard and circular that tasted almost metallic.

Scorpius broke away as quickly as he had basically attacked her. His grey eyes wouldn't meet hers, and he began to throw a tantrum, his face growing a heated red as creative obscenities flowed from his mouth. She popped the thing from her mouth into her hand, and gasped at the sight of the golden snitch. "B-but this i-is yours…" she told him with confusion, holding out the trinket to him.

Two girls, who had been in the back of the stands, peered down through the rafters. One of them screamed to the other awaiting fans, "Lily caught the snitch! Lily Potter caught the snitch!" People swarmed up at the edge of the stands, trying to find a way down to the pair. She looked helplessly to Scorpius who was trying to make his voice heard over all of the screaming fanatics, and he winked slyly and picked up the brooms. Thankfully, neither of them was damaged, and they flew up to meet the others, Scorpius acting cold with her the whole time. They were swarmed by the excited students and James, practically drowning in blood from a cut on his forehead, lifted her up in the air and boosted her onto his and Al's shoulders. They began to take her up to the castle, but Lily insisted that she wanted to take a shower in the girls' locker room.

They finally let her be, and she grabbed her bag of spare clothes from the Strategy Room. "Bubblegum," she told the door, which swung open at the sound of the password. She sighed at the sight of the showers, each stall only separated from the main room by a thin pink curtain. She pulled one of the curtains open and turned on the shower, letting the water heat up.

She turned to her bag and unzipped it, searching through it for some decent clothes. Warm lips suddenly pressed to the back of her neck, and she simultaneously gasped and squealed, making her choke. Lily whirled around to see Scorpius grinning at her, his perfect teeth shining in the dim light. "Wh-what are you d-doing?" she asked uneasily. "H-how d-did you even g-get in here?" She was so confused now. Scorpius had been clear that he refused to date her because he wouldn't cause that sort of a rift between their families even though they both fancied each other.

His grey eyes smoldered, melting her will and he whispered in her ear, "Bubblegum? Is that really the only thing the girls could come up with? I guess I got tired of being good," he whispered seductively, making her shiver as his hands glided smoothly up her arms and rested on her shoulders. "How can anyone resist you?"

A short little giggle escaped her lips, and this time, _she_ kissed _him_ first with excitement. Her fingers once again found his soft hair, and his hands moved to the small of her back to trap her more firmly against him. His tongue once again traced her lips and she opened her mouth, trying to commit the sensations to memory. His tongue moved and traced her teeth, making her shiver as bolts of electricity flowed everywhere he touched her.

"Lily? Are you in here?" they broke apart at the sound of Roxanne opening the door and calling to her cousin. Without a second thought, Lily dragged Scorpius into the running shower and closed the curtain, shoving him in the corner and away from sight, the water soaking their Quidditch uniforms. "Yeah," she yelled back as the door slammed closed. "What are you doing in here?"

Roxy laughed, and Lily could see her outline as she stripped off her clothes through the thin curtain. "I'm not allowed to take a shower? Merlin, I couldn't stand how I smelled after the match. I think some snake stink rubbed off on me."

Scorpius glared through the curtain at her offense, but he stepped away from his corner and softly wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her backwards into his chest. He gently brushed her now-soaked hair off of her shoulder and placed feather-light kisses up and down her neck. Trying to respond to Roxy's comment, she laughed, but it was too high-pitched to not sound insane.

Roxy froze just before she stepped in the shower. "Lily, are you okay? You're acting kind of funny."

"O-oh, yeah!" she exclaimed, desperately trying to get the usually unobservant Roxanne to think nothing was wrong. Just fant—_ahhhhh_—stic!" Scorpius at that moment choose to completely throw caution to the wind and found her sweet spot, sucking at a spot on the side of her neck, just above where her neck smoothed into her shoulder, which made her voice go up at least three octaves as the pleasure rippled through her body with electric tingles.

Roxy took a step closer to the shower. "Lily what's wrong?"

She tried not to freak out and shoved Scorpius into the corner again with a glare that would have put her grandmother to shame. "J-just stubbed m-my toe!" she lied hurriedly. "I-it, ah, really hurt." She glared again at Scorpius who was only grinning mischievously in the corner.

Roxanne finally stepped into the shower beside hers. "You really are so clumsy on the ground sometimes, Lils. Luckily you aren't in the air! Without you, I think we would've lost today's match! I couldn't bear to lose to those snakes."

Lily successfully put a hand to his mouth before he hissed out something and gave them away, and with sadness in her eyes, she told her cousin, "I guess you'll have to find someone really good next year then."

"What do you mean?"

She swallowed convulsively, and Scorpius could how much she hated to talk about it. "Didn't you hear?" she asked with a false brightness that didn't even come close to covering her sorrow. "I got kicked off the team at the beginning of next year, and I can't play anymore. I have detention for the rest of the year, _and_ I can't go on the visits to Hogsmeade anymore."

"Your life must suck," Roxy commented lightly. "But what did you even do to get in that much trouble? Did you throw Wilkinson off of the Astronomy Tower? I'd love you forever if you did that."

"I-I don't think I should really talk about it," she murmured as Scorpius, disobeying her direct orders _again_ held her tightly against his chest. She rested her head on his chest as the water droplets continued to soak them the warmth now beginning to dull from scorching hot to pleasantly warm. She sighed, wishing she could stay in this moment forever.

Roxy's shower went off, and Lily and Scorpius broke apart, realizing that they had staying in that moment for at least five minutes. "Merlin, woman!" her cousin exclaimed at their still running shower, "Do you like to take showers that last all day? If you don't hurry up, you'll miss the party! Albus is probably already back with the buterbeers by now!" She dressed and dried her hair with a charm.

Lily glanced at Scorpius who had retreated to his corner and put her hand on the knobs to turn the water off and then she glanced down at herself. Her emerald eyes widened; she was still in her Quidditch clothes! If she turned off the shower she would have to come out and face Roxy, but how would she explain why she took a shower in her clothes? Scorpius seemed to realize the same thing, but when she looked back to him for help, he only shrugged. She scurried over to Scorpius and forcefully turned him around so that his nose was in the corner, "No peeking!" she hissed quietly in his ear as a mischievous grin spread across his face. She resisted a groan and prodded him in the ribs. "I mean it!"

"Lily?" Roxy called as Lily stripped out of her clothes, a blush pooling on her face and gradually reaching down her neck. She glanced at Scorpius who had decided to be a perfect gentleman and faced the corner, even putting his hands over his eyes.

"Uh, yeah, just a second!" Lily called to her cousin, shutting off the water, shivering, and pulled her towel off of the hook just outside her shower. She wrapped it around her body and thankfully stepped out of the shower, more at ease with her cousin than her… could she call him her boyfriend? Roxanne had already dressed and was almost done with getting ready, thankfully.

"Do you want me to wait for you?" Roxy asked, not looking away from her mirror as she inspected her teeth for food and also not seeing the blush that reappeared every time Lily thought of Scorpius in the shower.

Lily tried to make her voice sound normal. "Uh—nope! That's alright. Y-you can go on ahead, ya know, if you want. I-I mean you d-don't have to, uh, stay here or, ah, anything. Yeah, i-it'll be d-dreadfully b-boring just, uh, waiting on my. I-I mean, I've got t-to curl my hair, a-and, uh, put on my make-up, and, ya know, all those s-stupid girlie th-things that you d-don't like."

Roxanne put the last of her things in her bag and zipped it. "Seriously, what's wrong with you, Lily? You're acting all nervous, like you have something to hide. You don't have anything to hide from me, do you?" she asked walking closer to Lily with a rather intimidating look.

Lily had always been a little afraid of her older, aggressive cousin. It sort of frightened her the way she didn't care and could beat the crap out of _James_ if she wanted. "W-well…" she hesitated. She couldn't just tell her cousin that she was snogging a Malfoy in the shower! "Well, you know Amos Blocc, right?" She shook her head. "Of _course_ you know Amos; he's on the Quidditch team! W-well I have a crush on him," she blurted out, a little astounded at her own audacity. "A-and I wanted to look extra special tonight so that I could, uh, _impress_ him, and show him that I'm not just the Seeker on our team… a-and that I could be something… more." Her voice got quiet and she hung her head, trying to determine if Roxy had bought the lie.

"Ew," she said, and Lily resisted sighing in relief. "I don't get involved in guy troubles, so I'm out of this one, cuz. See you at the party. I'll tell everyone that you'll _eventually_ get around to showing up at the party." With her bag slung over her shoulder, Roxy departed with a little wave, letting Lily sigh in relief.

"Don't come out yet," she warned the shower where Scorpius was still hidden. "I'm not dressed yet." She rummaged through her bag and threw on a warm, low-cut sweater and some skinny jeans. She stuffed her clothes into her bag and said, "You can come out now."

Scorpius emerged with a grin on his face and her wet clothes in his hands. She giggled at his long hair that had turned a sort of light brown from the wetness. He set the clothes on the bench beside her bag and took her into his arms again, kissing her. He was forced to lift her off of her feet, seeing as she only almost came up to the top of his chest so that he wouldn't have to bend down so much. She didn't care that her clothes were getting wet again as his body pressed against her and she smiled into his lips. She hardly noticed that they were moving, back, past another pink curtain, until the shower came on again and she squealed at the sudden surprise, causing them both to break apart.

She held her face up to the onslaught of cool water, but neither made a move to turn it off. Lily smiled. "I've always wanted to be kissed in the rain," she whispered in his ear before her lips moved to his again and their tongues swirled together. Neither of them was sure if they could ever find the restraint to stop.

Eventually, Scorpius's lips moved from her mouth to her neck and the sensations had her completely at his power. His lips gradually moved up her jaw and extremely close to her sweet spot. She tried to get him to move away from that spot, but he remained there, almost teasing her as she whimpered. "I need something," he murmured against her creamy white skin, "I need the new password to Gryffindor Tower."

Her breathing was ragged, but she managed to rasp out, "And just… why… would you need that?"

He smiled, his nose tracing up and down her neck. "For a little… Slytherin project we've wanted to work on for a while. What's the password, Flower?"

Her hands moved from his hair and lifted his chin so that she could move to kissing his jaw. "Tell me why, first," she breathed, her breath causing a shiver down his spine and she smiled, reveling in the fact that she could solicit a reaction from him.

"We… we're going to crash the party…" he sighed contentedly. His silver-grey eyes reopened, and he regained control of the situation, kissing her neck again, just a little away from her sweet spot.

She sighed. "I… don't think I should give away that… information…"

Scorpius moved to her sweet spot, and she moaned, rather glad that the sound of the shower masked the noise. "Tell me… Tell me, Flower…" he whispered before he started sucking on the skin there.

She moaned more loudly, but refused to give in. Just because he could do devilish things with his tongue on her neck, didn't mean that she had to give him anything. Her hands knotted in his soaking hair as he continued to ravish the skin there. She cried out a little bit when he broke the blood vessel beneath her skin. "Caput Draconis!" she exclaimed, at the brink of breaking at his feet. Immediately, he stopped his ministrations to her neck and straightened up, turning off the shower. He had a big grin on his face. "You're evil," she muttered to him angrily. Couldn't they snog just a bit longer?

"I'm a scorpion, remember?" he kissed her cheek lightly and led her out of the shower.

"So you're just going to leave me now that you've tortured information out of me?" she asked, a little hurt. "That's so unfair!"

He laughed, the sound like soft bells, and kissed her lips lightly, but pulled away when she tried to deepen the kiss. "I fear that if we don't leave now, we'll spend quite a long time in here. Besides, isn't there some Amos Blocc man that you should be flirting with?"

Her mouth dropped open. "No!" she exclaimed a bit too quickly. She smirked. "Besides, as soon as I get to the party, I'll just tell James what you're planning to do." She smiled to herself.

"Hmm," he mused, rubbing his chin. "Well, we simply can't have you doing that, so… I guess there's only one option left."

Her emerald eyes narrowed. "What option?" When he didn't immediately answer, she said, "Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, what are you going to do?"

He pulled her to him to kiss her forehead, but he didn't let go. "I guess I'm just going to have to capture you." He grinned and led her out of the shower, watching carefully for no one to see them. She giggled as they darted under the cover of various trees, neither of them wanting to be caught. He shamelessly pulled on her hand, keeping it intertwined with his own. They snuck through the grounds and reached the castle. Just as a Gryffindor tromped down the main stairwell, Scorpius hid Lily in a niche close to the way down to the dungeons.

Lily recognized the voice of Lysander Longbottom. Why he wasn't with his twin, she wasn't sure; he was almost always with Lorcan. "What's a snake doing out in the sunlight? Shouldn't you be down in the snake pit with the rest of the scum mourning their _28__th_loss to Gryffindor in a row?" From where she was hidden, Lily could see Scorpius clench his hands into fists, but she couldn't see the expression on Lysander's face. He was usually a nice, humble boy, and she didn't understand why he would try to rub their victory in his face.

"Well, at least I'm smart enough to figure out that my girlfriend's been cheating on me."

Lily froze, her mouth agape. "At least in Gryffindor, we can be honest, and not have to cheat like you slimy Slytherins." If she had been an avid gossip like her roommate, Amanda Thomas, she probably would have died at the shock of such drama-filled information. "Just mind your own business, Longbottom. Can't you go mope in some other part of the castle?"

"Maybe I want to mope right here," Lysander said, obviously trying to goad a reaction out of Scorpius. He got quite close, too. Scorpius took a step forward, pulling his clenched fist back as though to punch him, but just before he did, Scorpius caught sight of a very distressed Lily, her emerald eyes wide and imploring.

He half-snarled, "Maybe I'll just hang around for a while, too." He crossed his arms, and Lily tried to be as quiet as possible as they had a silent battle of the wills for almost fifteen minutes, each second ticking uncomfortably. Finally, Lysander gave up, stalking past Scorpius and purposely knocking him as he swept past. Scorpius just about turned and beat the crap out of the idiot, but he took a deep breath through his nose, and closed his eyes to calm himself.

When Lysander's footsteps had long since faded away, Scorpius opened his grey eyes and took Lily's hand again, leading her down to the dungeons where it was rather cool, and she shivered slightly. He led her down past the Potion's room, and Professor Slughorn's office to what seemed a blank wall down a flight of stairs. "Dragon's Breath," Scorpius muttered and the wall moved aside, revealing a passageway. Just before they entered into the midst of the green-tinted common room, Scorpius placed a light kiss on her forehead.

When they came to the center of the Slytherin Dungeons, Lily smiled, glad that the place was somewhat familiar to her. The room was tinted green because it lay beneath the Great Lake, and many students lounged in the emerald and silver sofas. One boy, one that Lily recognized as a chaser for Slytherin, Heston Lestrange, stood up. "What are you doing with her, Malfoy?"

Lily, realizing that she had a sort of act to pull, tried to tug her grip from Scorpius, but it was like his grip was made of iron. "You're such a prat, Scorpius! Let _go_ of me!" His grey eyes met hers with approval.

He turned back to Lestrange and glared. He jerked on her arm rather painfully to stop her and said, "I got the password, but she was going to go tell her brothers and warn them before we could get there. I had to take her with me."

Julian Zabini stood up. "So you brought her here? Why not just lock her in some abandoned classroom where the teachers wouldn't find her?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "I'm a witch, too, you know. It would've been easy to get out."

Lestrange talked again. "So did you get the password or not? Can we even rely on her?"

"She's a reliable source, and now we have her in case she lied. The password did have to be… tortured… out of her though." She tried to hide a blush and Scorpius grinned.

He forced her to sit on an empty seat on the couch beside Alicia, who smiled comfortingly. "We could still use this to our advantage," he told the group. "We could use her as a sort of ransom. Or at least something to make them keep quiet, and not go blabbing to the teachers."

Lily rolled her eyes again. "You don't need me to ensure that. Just say something about how it would be un-Gryffindor-ish, and they'll completely freak. Make a slight about their Gryffindor courage, and they'll be like putty in your hands."

There was silence for a few moments before Alicia laughed. "It appears that the Sorting Hat made a mistake when it put this cunning little girl in Gryffindor." Many murmured their agreement. She looked the pair of them up and down suspiciously. "How did you both get so wet?"

Lily looked to Scorpius who was at a total loss, so Lily exclaimed, "It rained!" Many eyebrows shot up at the obvious lie, seeing as it had begun to clear up at the end of the match, the sun appearing and shining. She tried to hold in the giggled, and Scorpius had to resist laughing.

Alicia rolled her eyes. "Whatever. So what's the plan for crashing the party?" she asked the others. They all began to murmur around what seemed to be a sort of dead map, some sneaking glares at the unwelcome Gryffindor. Scorpius pulled her up again and began leading her up to what Lily assumed to be the boys' dormitories.

"That's a pretty nice hickey you have, Lily." The redhead stumbled and almost died from embarrassment. Her whole neck and face flushed a bright red, and the platinum blonde beside her was more than a little pink. Her hand unconsciously moved to cover the sensitive skin where Scorpius had sucked on to get the password out of her. "Who'd you get it from?" At the moment, the pair had an intense desire to strangle Alicia.

"I-i-it's a, uh, r-regular bruise… ya know, f-f-from the Quidditch g-game," she lied nervously. "Wh-when I f-fell and hit th-the rafters, I-I guess I g-got this bruise."

"Mm-hmm," Alicia only nodded with amusement. Many of the other Slytherins started snickering.

Scorpius sent a warning glare as he escorted her up the stairs, as though daring anyone to ask why she was going into a bedroom with Scorpius. He hurried down the hall that was so much like the one in Gryffindor Tower, and opened a door with a five on it for fifth year. The room was rather pretty, with nicely made beds with emerald and silver comforters and hardly any clutter in the room, but like any boy's room, clothes were strewn across the floor and a rather healthy mess was obtained. Lily smiled at the way that the window was like looking into a murky aquarium. He noticed what she was admiring and muttered, "Yeah, it's pretty until the merpeople and Grindylows decide that they want to hang out around here."

She smiled as he began fishing around in his trunk. She tapped the glass and a little school of fish scurried away, frightened away by her. Suddenly, she whirled around and punched Scorpius in the arm as hard as she could. "Ow!" he yelped in surprise and fright. "What the hell was that for?"

"_That's_ for giving me a hickey, you prat!" she hissed. "Merlin's dirty underpants, did you _have_ to do that? If my brothers find out you gave me this," she pointed viciously to the bright red, now turning blue, welt, "or worse if my _dad_ finds out, I'm screwed for the rest of my life!" she struggled to keep her voice down.

"I didn't mean to!" he snarled. "You just wouldn't give me the password!"

"Oh, so I'm supposed to do something that would get me detention for _next year?_ I'm already screwed enough! Merlin, what am I supposed to do?" She groaned and flopped down on his bed, her wet hair flying in every direction and her clothes probably soaking the sheets.

He gently lay down beside her and sighed when she didn't push him away. "I'm sorry. And just so you know, you probably gave me a huge bruise on my arm," he said as he rubbed where she had hit him. "At least everyone knows you have a boyfriend now. They just don't know who he is." He smiled. "Now if anyone tries to hit on you, I can beat the crap out of them without hesitation."

Her eyes turned on him, suddenly full of a softness he hadn't expected. Really, he had expected another punch but to his face or a kick where he wouldn't want it. "Really?" she asked softly, turning to him and snuggling closer. "Is that what you are? My boyfriend?"

He almost laughed, but he had a sudden instinct tell him that he would never be able to have children if he did. "Are you kidding me?" he asked. "You think I would just snog you and then dump you on the floor and pretend it never happened? No, I'm tired of you _not_ being my girlfriend."

She smiled. "But we can't tell anyone," she voiced the exact thing he had been about to say. "No, my brothers would murder me, and you'd have all twenty-six of my family members to face." Her hands ran up his chest and he kissed her lightly on the lips, almost lighter than a feather.

They stayed that way for maybe a minute, exchanging soft kisses that sent shivers down her spine, before Scorpius sat up again, tearing him out of her reach. "We can't stay up here too long; we wouldn't want rumors spreading. C'mon, stand up and I'll use a Drying Spell on you."

She jumped up with a happy smile. He tried the charm and all the moisture lifted away from her clothes, except that her shirt refused to dry. "Shoot," she murmured. "I forgot this is one of those shmancy shirts that has some good effect to being sopping wet."

Scorpius laughed. She sat on the bed and kept her hands over her eyes while he went into the loo and changed from his Quidditch clothes to regular muggle clothes. When he was done, he handed her Transylvania National Quidditch team shirt. She looked at it appraisingly. "Transylvania?"

He gave her a cold stare. "Do you want a dry shirt or not?"

She giggled and ran into the bathroom, shrugging the wet shirt off and the dry one on. It was about ten times her size. "How do you even fit in this?" she called out to her boyfriend as she studied herself in the mirror. She pulled her spare ponytail off of her wrist and tied it behind her back to make it fit better.

When she came back into the dorm room, his eyebrows shot up at her creativity. "I don't. It was too small for me when I turned, I don't know, twelve?"

She put her hands on her hips. "Uh-huh."

He led her back downstairs where they had just finished up the plans. "Took you long enough," Julian muttered and Lily had to keep from blushing. Alicia grinned mischievously as she saw the shirt Lily was wearing. "I was going to tell you that you could borrow some of my clothes if you wanted too," she whispered in Lily's ear when she sat down next to her friend again, making Lily go red again.

The group was made up of a bout ten Slytherins and Lily who was dragged along just in case (plus, Scorpius adamantly refused to go if she didn't and he knew the password), and they all seemed to be in pretty good spirits despite losing to the Gryffindors. Again. They were in the corridor not far from the Fat Lady when they were ambushed. The remainder of the Gryffindor Quidditch team and Rosie surrounded them and all had their wands out. Of course, the Slytherins had their wands at the ready in a fraction of a second. "Oops," Lily chatted innocently. "Forgot to tell you about their special map."

"What special map?" Alicia hissed, very unpleased.

"Lily, shut up," Albus told her. It was rather hard to see everyone because dusk had begun to settle over the castle, and Scorpius was shielding her from everyone, her back pressed gently against the wall. "Lily, what have you told them?"

"Oh, not much," she told him dreamily, "Just the password… and the secret staircase to our dormitories… and the special jinxes that we use to keep other houses out of our Tower. Other than that… not much."

Both sides could tell that she was lying, but Albus and James were relieved. "What jinxes?" Scorpius asked suspiciously, playing along with her even though he knew there were no such things.

"Oops. I forgot to tell you about the jinxes, too."

"I should've know you'd be involved in this," James scoffed at Scorpius. "You're just a backstabbing, son of a—"

"Language, Jamie," Lily giggled. "He only came to crash the party."

Lestrange hissed suddenly. "You'd better believe I'm not going to stand here while they take the glory that's rightfully ours!" Suddenly he stepped forward and punched Albus.

Lily couldn't help but scream as chaos broke out. Albus slumped to the floor, completely out cold, after his head hit the opposite wall when it snapped backwards from the impact. Alicia was suddenly trying to dig her claws into Rose who was clawing back just as much, and James had rounded on Lestrange and was repeatedly punching him for damaging Albus. The students abandoned their wands, and struggled in the semi-darkness. Scorpius kept Lily back against the wall, punching anyone who tried to come and take her from him.

"_Poor Lily,"_ a voice murmured in the darkness.

"I am sure as hell not dealing with you tonight," Lily stated aloud to Scorpius's confusion. She suddenly focused on the happiness she felt when she and Scorpius had been snogging in the showers. Mortellea always wanted to make her feel like she was worthless, but she twisted away from the urges and used her boyfriend as the answer.

"And just what do you think you're all doing?" the authoritative voice stopped James in the middle of punching Alicia and Lestrange from hitting Roxy, whose nose was bleeding. Amos Blocc dropped Julian to the floor, having been holding him up by the collar of his shirt, and Scorpius had Lily pinned in what could be a rather bad situation. Professor Longbottom had his wand lit, blinding some of the students as he took in each of their faces. "Brawling in the corridors? None of you even has the decency to pick up your wand?"

"For your information, Professor," Lily said meekly, "I couldn't reach my wand."

He glared. "Why are you even doing this in the first place? Shouldn't Slytherins be in the dungeons and Gryffindors in their tower?"

"Well, we would've, Sir," James answered, "but they abducted our sister. We were only on a search party to find her, and we found her being held captive by all these Slytherins. You think I was just gonna wait around for my sister to be on the receiving end of some curse?"

Longbottom sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "So the Slytherins kidnapped Lily Potter?" Everyone reluctantly nodded. "But why?" he asked, obviously confused.

"To regain the glory that's rightfully ours! We had to redeem ourselves!" Lestrange answered loyally. Roxy punched him in the stomach and shot a half-apologetic grin at Longbottom.

"Redeem yourselves from what?" James asked, "Your horrible failure at life?"

"That's enough James," Neville sighed. "I'd give you all detention, but if I give any more to Miss Potter over here, we'll be taking her out of class to punish her."

"But what did I do wrong, Professor?" protested Lily skillfully. "So far as we've gone, I was only kidnapped."

"Are you implying that you did something else, Miss Potter?" Neville asked, seeing right through the façade that the Potters could put on so well.

"No."

Scorpius tried to hide his grin, and she used his eyes to silently implore him not to give away that she had told him the password. Longbottom sighed again. "Alright, fine. You all have a month's worth of detentions, excepting Lily who'll already be in there with you all. I want you all to report to Filch tomorrow night at… what time do you go to detention at, Lily?" he asked quietly although everyone heard.

"Six," she answered promptly.

He nodded. "At six. Now, do I have to escort you all back to your own common rooms?" Everyone hurriedly shook their heads and everyone immediately began heading to where they belonged. When no one was looking, Scorpius, like a perfect gentleman that was raised by proper parents, softly took her hand and kissed her knuckles, sending the familiar electricity jolting though her and the butterflies flapping their wings faster than ever in her stomach. He winked at her before he left, his warm, grey eyes obviously amused, and she blushed to a light pink. Longbottom revived Albus with some sort of smelling plant stuff that he kept in his pocket and he fixed the big lump her older brother had on the back of his head.

James, Albus, and Lily were the last ones to leave the scene, excluding Professor Longbottom, James and Lily having to support Albus back to the Fat Lady. When they entered, most of the party had stopped to listen to the already-distorted tale told by the Quidditch team. Albus groggily looked to Lily. "So what just happened?"

She smiled bleakly. "Well, let's see. The Slytherins took me captive after the game, they were going to crash the party, but you guys ambushed them. You got completely slugged by that prat Lestrange, and you ended up with a month's worth of detention along with everyone else after Neville busted us all brawling, even though you were unconscious for the whole thing. I think that pretty much sums it up."

He groaned. "Not to mention my bloody headache. Remind me to hex Lestrange the next time I see him."

She grinned and nodded and then James helped him up the stairs and into bed. Lily stood for a few minutes in front of the fire as the party began to pick up again, entranced by the flickering flames. "You don't seem too upset for someone who was just tortured by Slytherins."

Lily gasped, and turned to see Rosie, her brown eyes questioning, and her red hair wrestled back into a ponytail. She smiled at her cousin. "You know I hang out with Scorpius and Alicia a lot. It's not really that bad. It was… interesting, to see all of those secrets, and the Great Lake is so cool when you look at it from underneath. I kind of wish I had seen the Giant Squid…"

Rosie nodded, "And you just had a fancy time because Slytherins, as they proved tonight, are not people to be feared, or who will kidnap a girl for fun, but a kind and loving house, full of rainbows and sunshine and happiness." Her tone positively dripped with sarcasm. "Really. Why do you seem so happy?"

Lily smiled to herself. "Well, I did beat the Slytherin team today. That made my day."

Rosie gave up, knowing that she probably wouldn't get a real answer out of her cousin. "But, listen, Rose," Lily added seriously, quoting Scorpius, "Slytherin House, just like its occupants, has changed. They're not full of a bunch of evil Deatheaters and even their parents were on the good side sometimes. They just have their differences. You just can't underestimate them." She yawned obviously. "I'm exhausted. Something about being kidnapped just wears me out. I'm gonna hang out upstairs for a while before I hit the hay."

"Just—" Rosie hesitated. "Just be careful, Lily. I don't want you to get hurt by the Slytherins."

Lily smiled in appreciation. "I trust them, so I don't think I will get hurt, but it's possible. I'll be careful, but remember, Rosie, Slytherins aren't the only bad guys. Anyone can let someone that trusts them down."

She smiled knowingly, and Lily went upstairs. She sighed as she slipped out of the jeans that she didn't feel like wearing; she wanted comfort at the moment. She pulled out her favorite pajama bottom, ones with little snowmen and Christmas trees on them, and slipped them on, relaxing just at the feel of the soft fleece on the inside of them. When she turned to her bed, she laughed at the sight of the dark grey owl on her bed. She took the letter and opened it.

_Dearest Flower,_

_You aren't upset over today, are you? I just need to make sure that you've already forgiven me for any pratish behavior I might have had while you were with me today. And I really am sorry for the You-Know-What on your neck. I honestly didn't mean to do that._

_Sincerely,_

_Scorpius_

She laughed before writing her reply.

_Scorpius,_

_You are such an idiot. How could you think I'd be upset with you? Today was absolutely the best day of my life, and if you think otherwise, then I don't know which planet you live on. And if you think I'm still upset over that, I'd say that you are very unobservant. I can't wait to spend time with you after detention tomorrow._

_Always,_

_Lily Luna_

When her other dorm mates came into the room, long after she had come up by herself, they found Lily curled peacefully on her bed, clad in an odd Transylvania National Quidditch team shirt on. No one disturbed her but rather one of them drew the curtains around her bed closed as they went on to discuss some of the hottest single males in the school, Scorpius Malfoy a little reluctantly included in the subject.

But down in the Slytherin boy fifth year boys' dormitory, Julian Zabini snickered over the fact that Scorpius Malfoy had fallen asleep clutching some sort of a sweater to his chest like it was a teddy bear. Before he pulled the curtains around Scorpius's bed closed, he noticed yet another letter from Lily discarded next to him on the bed. He rolled his eyes, thinking that those two never liked to be apart.

**Teeheeheehee. They finally got together! This is a HUGE milestone in the story! It probably means that this might even be about halfway over, maybe a little less. Yeah, this thing is FAR from over. It's also my longest chapter with over 8k words (o.O)! PLEASE REVIEW! Tell me how you think I did on this chapter, and whether you liked the snogging scenes and such! IF YOU REVIEW, I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER AND EVER AND EVER AND EVER AND EVER… are you getting the picture yet?**


	19. Hectic Day

**I'm alive! But I'm positive I won't be for long! *****ducks for cover***** I FINALLY got this chapter done! It's been over a month since I've updated and I'm sorry for taking so long, but I've had a hard time concentrating. So Merry Christmas to all! I got some really awesome stuff and you should think of this as a (late) Christmas present from me to you! Thanks to all of my reviewers! **

Chapter 19: Hectic Day

Lily groaned when she sat down the next day. Soreness seemed to bloom all over her body, from her fall through the rafters at the Quidditch game, but she was still in an extraordinarily good mood for someone who had supposedly been to hell and back the day before. "Hurting just a little there, Lilsies?" James asked from across the table, patting her cheek, to her annoyance.

She smacked his hand away and rolled her eyes. "How's the forehead?"

"It could be worse," he answered, tenderly rubbing the newly patched skin of his forehead that Madame Pomphrey had healed after he'd been bashed by one of the Slytherin chasers. Albus sat down beside his older brother, absent mindedly pulling a fresh batch of eggs onto his plate, completely engrossed in his copy of the _Quibbler_. Rose came in behind him, her mangy hair pulled into a ponytail, and sat beside Lily, scooping a waffle onto her plate and almost drowning it in syrup, intently studying for her Potions test.

Lily deftly took the bottle of syrup before the syrup began to run off of Rose's plate and into her lap. Her cousin looked up with surprise and noted her breakfast. Her face turned red as she smiled appreciatively at Lily. "Oops, sorry. I wasn't paying attention." Underneath her slutty façade, a kind, timid girl had appeared who was trying to study and make good grades and always there for anyone who needed her although she often needed help when she saw that prat, Zachary Smith, with one of his many new girlfriends.

Lily smiled in response. "Yeah, you rarely do that anyways," she teased. She set the now-empty bottle back on the table and laughed when Rose engulfed herself in the book again. Her eyes flashed warily to the Slytherin table where Alicia and Julian seemed to be in some heated debate on either side of Scorpius. But he couldn't care less about what was going on around him; rather, he was smiling at Lily, looking a little silly with the wide grin plastered on his face. She smiled back and waved, a little timidly.

"I don't see why you didn't just go sit with them today, Lilsies," Albus cut in, noticing her wave. "I mean you rarely eat with us anymore anyways." He turned back to his paper, not even bothering to let her answer, so he completely missed her bright pink blush and ignored her feeble stutters.

No one was really focused on the conversation, and James was busy trying to flirt with his fellow sixth-year prefect, Kathleen Dereville. He really did have a terrible crush on the girl. Rose suddenly commented, "You need to find some better cover up, Lily."

Lily didn't understand, her eyes meeting Rose's in confusion. "Why?"

She pulled a roll onto her plate without looking up. "Because that cover up hardly covers your hickey."

Lily's eyes grew to the size of the platters on the table and both of her brothers looked to her, also Hugo, Dominique and Kathleen. "_What_ about my little sister having a hickey?" James snarled, ready to beat up the first man that she looked at.

"Why on earth do you have a _hickey?_" Albus incredulously asked, almost as angry as James as he roughly turned her head to get a better look at the purple bruise on her neck.

"I-it's not a-a-a hickey!" Lily stuttered, her face redder than her hair. "I-I b-b-bruised m-myself y-yesterd-day wh-wh-when I-I-I f-fell through th-the rafters," she related the same lie she had told Alicia. She glared at Rose, whom she really felt like murdering at the moment.

"I dunno," Rose said with a knowing smile as she buttered her roll. "I've had plenty of hickeys in my life, and I know when I see one. Besides, that's a little odd of a place to get hit by a rafter, isn't it?"

Lily stopped her hands from wrapping them around her neck and wringing the living daylights out of her cousin by clenching them into fists at her side. Dominique was laughing loudly. "Wow, someone actually _wants_ to snog _you_! But I think the question we're all asking here is: _who the hell_ gave you a hickey?"

The young redhead looked around nervously, but almost everyone at the Gryffindor table seemed attracted to this query. All eyes were on her as she fidgeted nervously and bit her lip. She sent a pleading look to Scorpius, but he was already up and moving. "Hey, Flower, you said you needed help on that Charms report…?"

Lily was standing up like lighting, her bag already on her shoulder. With wide emerald eyes, she nodded, "Yup, I definitely need help. I just don't understand the concept of Cheering Charms. Will you explain it to me in the library, Scorp?"

James towered over them as they tried to sneak away. He leered at Scorpius. "And you wouldn't happen to know how Lily got a hickey, would you?"

Scorpius seemed surprised. "Lily has a hickey?" He almost laughed as he tilted her chin to observe for himself the purplish-red mark on her neck. He started laughing. "I have no idea who did that, but I sure feel bad for the guy who got himself into a heap of trouble."

Lily flushed crimson, adding a nice effect to the whole thing, all while she thanked Merlin for Scorpius Malfoy being an excellent liar like his father and his grandfather before him, as smooth and slippery as a snake. With a hand over her neck, she practically dragged Scorpius away from the Great Hall and towards the general direction of the library. Hardly anyone was in there although there was still half an hour before classes started. She dragged him back towards the Charms section which was in one of the more secluded areas of the library. After checking to make sure that no one was in the vicinity, they turned on each other, Lily still a light pink.

Scorpius once again turned her chin with an amused smile as he observed his handiwork. "I must say I did quite well."

Her eyes were full of green fire. "This is your entire fault."

"It's starting to look a little dull though; perhaps I need to give you another one."

"Oh, no you don't, mister!" she hissed quietly, pushing his face away. "I'm not having you get me in even more trouble. If anything, it's _my_ turn to give _you_ a hickey. Then we'll see how _you___deal with it."

He laughed softly at her viciousness. "Just calm down, Flower; I was only joking. Everything will be fine. The rumors will fade as that mark does, and by the time it's gone, the rumors will have disappeared and moved onto the next big scandal at Hogwarts, I swear."

"But what about my brothers?" she asked helplessly, leaning into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. She looked up at him through her long eyelashes. "They most definitely won't forget this. I'm completely and utterly screwed."

Scorpius smiled softly at her antics and kissed her flaming red hair gently. "Yes, they will; whatever you do, just refuse to tell them."

"You don't know my brothers," she moaned into his chest, hugging herself closer to him. Lily breathed in the scent of cologne from his shirt, and instead of making her relax, her heart began pumping faster. "I don't think I can do this, Scorpius," she whispered, both of them aware that a figure was moving on the other side of the bookshelf. "I just know they'll catch us, and then what? I-I just don't think I can go through with lying to their faces and sneaking around behind their backs." She ripped herself painfully away, but he grasped her wrist roughly.

"Oh, no you don't," he roughly told her, with grey fire swirling in his eyes. "I did not go through hell trying to stay away from you only to have you walk out on me at the slightest second you get scared. Where's your courage, Flower? I thought you fancied me!"

"I-I do, of course I d-do!" Lily answered, taken aback by his territorial manner. "S-Scorp, what if we get caught? Sweet Merlin, you won't have time to think before they kill you if they find us doing anything. I don't think I can handle that stress." Her big doe eyes couldn't meet his, she too ashamed of what she had done. "Th-this is just a big mistake, S-Scorp. Yesterday—yesterday was the best day of my life, but I was on some sort of ecstatic high and wasn't thinking straight. But now, I'm regaining my senses and—"

"Stop! Just stop!" he practically yelled at her. They both froze, looking at the bookshelf as though they had vision that could see through solid objects to the unknown person who had to have heard their fight. They both breathed in jagged rough breaths as they waited for some sign that the person had gone back to normal. There was absolute silence on the other side. Scorpius gently tugged on her hand with a soft look in his eyes that made a truce for the moment until they were successfully past the danger of being discovered. He walked briskly beside her as they left the Charms section, neither of them anywhere near to touching as he tried to partially shield her from the intruder's sight. They shortly decided on going to the Room of Requirement, and Lily paced in front of it tensely three times. _We need a place where no one can hear us that's comfortable._

When the plain, old-fashioned door appeared, Scorpius, like any good gentleman, opened the door for Lily. She could almost feel the ice growing from between them and she hated it. They sat down on a sofa on opposite ends facing each other. Lily bit her bottom lip nervously and tried not to let this get to her, they were only talking at the moment, right?

Scorpius took a deep breath but neither of them spoke. They sat there for probably hours in the dreadfully cold silence until he got up and began to pace back and forth before her. They both knew they had missed several classes, but neither cared. He stopped abruptly before her, and she squeezed her eyes shut, not sure she wanted either of them to say anything that could damage the fragile relationship. But at the same time, why did she still care? Wasn't she going to end things in the library? "Tell me again why you're so worried," he told her softly but with strain that was almost indiscernible but told her that she should be cautious.

She took a deep, shaky breath. "We're going to get caught," she explained carefully, still not daring to open her eyes. "And when we get caught, we're going to be in so much trouble. And it's going to terrify me that I might slip up and blow the whole secret."

She felt him sit down right beside her on the sofa and take her hands in his calloused ones. "Do you really believe that? Are you so afraid of the fall that you refuse to jump?" His warm breath softly caressed her cheeks and she unconsciously leaned towards him, her eyes fluttering open to see his eyes burning passionately.

"I don't know," she said nervously. "I'm just afraid that when I fall, no one will catch me."

He cracked a smile. "Then what am I here for?" she giggled and nudged him gently. His smile faded and Scorpius softly kissed her, hardly brushing his lips against hers. Lily leaned forward and firmly pressed her lips against his. He sighed into her mouth and a great battle of dominance began. As their tongues wrestled, Lily dissolved into nothing more than mush as he gently lay back on the couch and pulled her on top of him. Her auburn hair fell in swirls around them both as his fingers pulled through the strands.

Every doubt melted away like Lily's composure. They snogged maybe for hours, but it still seemed too short to her before he pulled away from her, them having moved until she was underneath him. She whined desperately when he stopped kissing up and down her neck. He laughed. "We wouldn't want another hickey, would we?"

"That doesn't mean you have to stop," she cajoled huffily, still lying there to see if he would return. Of course, he got up, standing away from her reach as he straightened his tie and redid the few buttons that had come undone, smiling at her enraged glare. He sat in the armchair opposite the sofa with a broad smile at her. She sat up, her arms crossed over her chest and her tie hanging down over her back. Her hair must've been in a disheveled mess, and she had to blow a few strands out of her face for him to get the full effect of her glare. "This isn't making me very happy."

Scorpius chuckled. "And who said that it was your happiness on the line? Maybe I'd be happy just to sit here and talk to you." She bit her swollen lip, swallowing back the retort that they had talked all last year and they needed to catch up on snogging.

He saw her torn expression and laughed at her restraint. "Well, then," she choked out, "What do you so desperately want to talk about?"

As she fixed her hair and straightened her tie, he came back over and relaxed on the couch, pulling her to him when she looked a little neater. "Well…" he thought for a moment as he looked to the ceiling, rummaging around for something to talk about. "How's school so far?" he asked lamely with a grin that said he knew it, too.

She shook her head with a laugh. "You're impossible. You make us stop snogging so we can talk about our _classes?_ Come up with something better or I'll be forced to seduce you."

With a wry grin he muttered, "You'll probably end up doing that anyways." He sighed. "Ummm…"

"What about your family?" Lily asked inquisitively. "I don't know much about them."

"And yet you can probably list off every charity that we've ever donated to, can't you?"

She rolled her eyes. "How was your… erm… could you call it a recent vacation?" she asked, referring to his recent leave after his grandfather's death

He smiled. "Well, my 'vacation' wasn't all that fun, thank you. Dad went to Azkaban to get Grandfather to give him a 'proper Malfoy burial' or something like that. But we buried him in the Black family cemetery like Grandmother wanted. Then we all went to the Ministry to have the reading of his will. It was really rather boring."

"Dad's always said that a will from someone you don't like could be like an early Christmas for adults," she reminisced.

He laughed. "That's sort of what it felt like. Dad 'officially' owns Malfoy Manor now, although we've always owned it. Mum got a lot of money that she intends to go shopping with, and Grandmother got the bulk of the money and the old vacation villa on the beach."

"Wow," Lily said with raised eyebrows. "And I thought we were rich."

"And grandfather put me in his will, too," he told her, his grey eyes still showing the slight surprise that he would be included. "I mean, we never even met, and he gives me enough galleons to fill two gringott's vaults!"

Her mouth dropped open in surprise. A mischievous grin spread across her face as she snuggled up closer to him. "My, that's a lot of money for one person; maybe you should split it with me. I'll take one vault and you can have the other." He laughed at her grin and sarcasm. "But, ya know," she added, "If your money is a little heavy, I'd be more than happy to take some off of your hands."

Scorpius shook his head. "I'll let you know. But tell me about your family. Mines all sticklers and rules, and Merlin's dirty underpants, I hate it."

"Aw come on," she told him sweetly. "It can't be as horrid as my family. I mean, at least you don't have twenty-five other people who want to know what you're doing every second of every day. Although, whenever we go to the Burrow, it's the most fun anyone ever has."

"The Burrow?" he prodded.

Lily nodded. "My grandmum and granddad's house. It's huge, and I think they put charms on it to keep it from collapsing. I love going to the gatherings because they're the only times the entire family is together. Usually we have one in the summer and one a day or so before Christmas. Even Uncle Charlie comes in from Romania."

"Why does your Uncle Charlie live in Romania?"

"For the dragons, of course. He brought a baby dragon home for Christmas one year when I was seven and I tried to smuggle her home with us, but she burned my jacket, and I was busted. He christened the little Antipodean Opaleye after me, Lily Luna. He brought her back with him another few years, but now she's grown up and too big to come home. He always brings me a photograph of her though, and one day, Uncle Charlie says he'll take me to see Lily Luna one day."

Scorpius smiled as he imagined the innocent seven-year-old Lily reveal the missing pearl-colored dragon that had vanished into thin air from inside a jacket covered with scorch marks. "Do you think that's what you want to do?" he asked. "Will you become a dragonologist like your uncle and live in Romania or something?"

She smiled but shook her head. "I don't think so. I wouldn't want to be so far away from home. I mean Uncle Charlie is rarely even here twice a year. As annoying as my family can be, I think I'd miss them too much."

"Then what do you want to do?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. When I was little, I switched between wanting to be an Auror like Dad or a Holly Head Harpies player. Now, I want to be different from the rest of my family, but not too different. What about you? Surely you've got something in mind."

"I dunno," he sighed. "Dad wants me to work at the Ministry like he does, but I don't think I want to sit in an office all the time. It just seems so boring."

"Well, with two vaults full of gold, you'll probably never have to work again," Lily smarted. "But if you were an Auror like my dad, you could still work at the Ministry but not be stuck in the office."

He shrugged but shook his head. "Nah. Everyone I know wants to do that, and I mean, I like them and everything, but I just want to do something different. I think what I'm leaning towards most now is being a curse-breaker for Gringotts." A smile lit up his face. "It's like being a treasure hunter—"

"But you don't get the treasure," Lily interrupted. "The goblins take all the galleons you find. My Uncle Bill was a Curse-Breaker, but he stopped a few years ago. He said that it was way too dangerous and Auntie Fleur refused to have him killing himself when he set off some ancient Egyptian jinx."

"Aw, come on," he cajoled, ruffling her auburn hair. "Loosen up, Flower. It's not that bad, and I could handle it."

Her emerald eyes glared. "Sure. Let's see if you're still saying that when you don't have a head."

He rolled his eyes. 'Fine, let's just drop the subject before I have a bloody nose. You still haven't told me what you want to do." Scorpius nudged her gently. "C'mon," he half-whined. "Won't you tell me what you want to do?"

She nudged him back although it was more of a punch than a nudge. "I actually think I might want to go into something like muggle protection, or perhaps be an Obliviator. My dad and granddad talk so much about muggles and I get along with them very well, and it would be cool to be more involved with them."

He smiled. "Of course. It seems like you would be the most popular girl if you were a muggle. It seems like they just flock to you. Just exactly how many people came to your birthday party after they hadn't seen you in four years? You just have a way with muggles."

Suddenly Lily's stomach rumbled through the momentary silence and they laughed. They slowly clambered off of their perch on the couch and stretched their stiff limbs. Scorpius checked his watch. "I think we'll only be a minute or so early for supper. Your stomach must double as an alarm clock."

When they got down to supper there was an amazing amount of student beginning to pile sandwiches and desserts on their plates, and Lily and Scorpius had to squish themselves into a small space between Alicia and Julian. Lily struggled to act no differently towards Scorpius as Julian leaned over and started whispering to Scorpius and they fell into an intense conversation. Lily left them to their devices, but only because she had Alicia on her left chattering away. "I hope you didn't forget that we all have detention tonight."

As Alicia munched on her cucumber sandwich (?), Lily laughed humorlessly. "Yeah, right. Like I could forget about it after I've been going to Filch's office for three months now and scrubbing every bloody trophy in that bloody trophy case. I honestly think that I've cleaned them all at least three times. You're in for a grand surprise because there's nothing like having twenty or so kids in detention who absolutely hate each other."

"You know I'm not good with the girl stuff, Julian!" The hushed tone was just loud enough that Lily looked to her right with an amused smile and raised eyebrows. "Can't you just ask Alicia or Lily?" the boys nervously looked up from their heated conversation with sheepish looks.

"Ask me or Alicia about what 'girl stuff,' Scorpius?" She asked with a smile.

"Erm, well—"

Julian Zabini interrupted Scorpius with his dark skin blushed a dull red. "Well, you see, Lily, there's this girl I really like, but she's older than me, and I don't think she even notices me," he told her in his soft but powerful voice with a lovely cadence.

"Who?" Lily asked curiously, leaning a little over Scorpius to see Julian better, her hand on his thigh, closer to his knee. "Who do you have a crush on? I swear I won't tell a soul."

He shifted uncomfortably. "I'm afraid you'll hex me of I tell you."

She laughed. "The only reason I would be concerned would be if it was one of my brothers and you already said your crush is a girl, so… who is it?"

"Rose Weasley."

Lily's mouth dropped open in shock and it took her three minutes to remember that she was leaning on Scorpius, much too close than she should be, and that she was probably beginning to salivate. She leaned back, her auburn hair swinging with her and muttered, "Umm, wow."

Scorpius laughed, his grey eyes twinkling. "What do you think I should do, Lily?" Julian asked, his big brown eyes beginning to resemble that of a puppy dog. "I-I mean do you think there's a possibility that she could… fancy me?"

Lily bit her lip. "I mean… she's been going through a really bad break-up and I'm not sure how she would feel about that, but it's been a while… and I think it would be good for her to start over… I can talk to her, make a few hints, but I can't promise fantastic results."

"Thanks so much, Lilyflower," he sighed in relief a white smile flashing across his features. Students began to dwindle from the Great Hall as Scorpius checked his watch.

Scorpius cursed, pulling Lily up with him as he stood up. "C'mon, we're all going to be late for detention if we wait much longer."

Lily laughed and rolled her eyes as Julian tried to cram another roll into his mouth before they all left. "Please, only the goody-two-shoes get there on time. Filch doesn't even care when it's me." But she still flowed gracefully down the hallway with the older Slytherins, humming some vague tune easily. They tromped down to the dungeons where everyone else had already gathered. About twenty kids crowded into Filch's tiny office to receive their detention for the night with long faces. Lily was the only one with a bright smile as she hummed, a few people giving her odd looks.

"You're late again, Miss Potter," Filch grumbled, his last remaining strands of greasy hair smoothed back on his shiny head. His black eyes were like beads and his clothes grimy and with many patches. "How many times do I have to tell ya not to be late?"

She grinned with self-satisfaction. "Oh, maybe I'll get it by the end of the year, Argus." She gave him a bright smile and sank into the chair that was his, all of the others staring at her with wide eyes.

To everyone's surprise, Filch just huffed impatiently. "What did I tell you about doing that?"

She looked up with an innocent, mischievous grin. "Well, Argus, I mean, look around. Do you see any other empty seats around here? You've got so many kids for detention there just isn't enough room around here. But, switching to another subject, "she randomly began, "I was wondering if I can do something besides washing the trophies tonight. I'm beginning to think that I'm going to scrub my granddad's name right off his Quidditch plaque if I have to wash it one more time."

"Outta mah chair!" he exclaimed angrily. James's mouth seemed to be nearing the floor seeing as Filch loved to get students in trouble and would yell at them for tracking in a speck of dust. Lily laughed but got out of the chair, bouncing over to stand by Rosie. He glared at the kids crowding his office. "Now I want 'bout a fourth of you'ns to go out to Hagrid, a fourth to the trophy room, a fourth to the dungeons where Slughorn's waitin' for yeh. An' the rest of yeh will stay here an' file the detention slips. All of yeh besides Hagrid's had best hand over yehr wands. Miss Potter, You're stayin' in here."

She muttered a low curse as she grudgingly handed over her wand. She'd been hoping to go with James and Albus to Hagrid's, but Filch, after having had three months of detention with her already, knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't get anything accomplished. She ended up stuck with Rosie and Scorpius, Julian and Alicia having snuck off to the dungeons, probably to get an extra couple of hours of sleep. Scorpius nudged Lily towards Rose. "Talk to her," he muttered before joining one of his fellow Slytherins to discuss Quidditch.

Filch, with an evil smirk pulled out a long file and handed it to Lily, who staggered beneath the weight. "I think it's time you got a head-start on yehr own file."

She grinned. "Hey, Rosie!" she exclaimed, sitting beside her cousin who had been given the task of recopying the detention lists of those with last names beginning with As. "I got my own file! That's gotta be better than Uncle George, 'cause he had to share with Uncle Fred!" She snickered. "I've probably got the most detentions now!"

"Considering the reason why you have your own file, I'm surprised you're in such a good mood. Who gave you chocolate today?" Rose didn't look up from her neat script as she carefully retraced the words onto a new sheet of parchment. Yet another kid trying to achieve fame for setting off dungbombs in the caretaker's office. The room had forever been tainted by the awful smell.

Lily laughed, shoving Rose lightly. "No one, thanks; I nicked it from the kitchens 'cause Winky said I've been having too much chocolate. She rarely succeeds at trying to keep us rogue students healthy." She wiped off most of the laughter from her face, leaving behind only a faint smile. "But on a more serious tone, I know someone who fancies you!" She used her taunting voice that always drew Rosie into whatever they were talking about.

And although she rolled her crystal eyes, Lily could see that the words were irresistible. "What have I told you? I'm not ready to go out dating again. When I'm ready, you'll be the first to know, okay?"

"But you've been improving so much recently!" Lily pleaded. "I mean, you can almost say that with a straight face now! Besides, it's not anyone who will be too intense for you or anything. He's really sweet, and quiet, and a lot like you actually. But I know he's not going to push you, and he's willing to take things slow. Maybe, don't you think it might be time to try it out?"

Rose glared at her, but her resolve wavered beneath the façade. "Lily, if he really doesn't want to push me, then neither you nor he will push me into this relationship.

"He is a bit younger, but it wouldn't bother you that much, would it?"

Curiosity raged and the words slipped off her tongue. "How much younger is he?"

Lily shrugged and turned to filing her papers. "Well, I thought you said you weren't interested. It probably doesn't matter to you anyways."

Rose scooted closer to Lily. "I never said I wasn't interested! I only said that I didn't think I was ready for a commitment again! Please, Lily," she wheedled, "Please won't you tell me how much younger he is?"

Emerald eyes slyly looked over to her cousin. "Well, it's only a year. But he's so tall that you wouldn't really think that, and he's very mature for his age, too."

Rose got some sort of a glassy stare as she was rather obviously imagining a tall, handsome man who was only seen in _Witch Weekly_ and more like a Gilderoy Lockheart than anything else. "Well, he doesn't sound bad at all. Who is this bloke anyways?"

A Cheshire grin stretched Lily's lips, and she knew her cousin was hooked. "Well, I'm still not sure if you'd like him…"

"Well, why not?"

"Because he's in Slytherin," she answered truthfully, her eyes not looking up from the scrawled handwriting that was slowly being engraved in her mind, burned in.

When Lily finished the paper and had still heard no reaction from Rose, not even a sharp gasp, she looked up to be facing her wide blue eyes and her mouth that was hanging open. "Um… Rosie?" She waved a hand in front of her cousin's face to snap her out of the trance.

Rose's cheeks started to flush a bright crimson which was thankfully not noticed by any of the Slytherins in the room, especially Scorpius, all of whom would have tried to drill information out of the girls. "Is… is it Julian?"

It was Lily's turn to be surprised. "How did you know?"

"Well, I am most certainly not blind," Rose told her in a grand impression of Grandmum Molly when she caught one of the grandchildren (James) doing something they weren't supposed to be doing (lighting the gnomes on fire). "I mean, he can't hide it very well, and I mean I've suspected it, but… I wasn't sure… and I was worried that I was just deluding myself into thinking that someone fancied me…." By the end of her speech, her voice was hardly above a whisper and her cheeks were red again and a blush was creeping up her neck.

"Will you go out with him?" Lily asked, mentally kicking herself for sounding too much like a gossip.

"I dunno," Rosie said, her unusually shy manner reappearing as her eyes fell to the floor and she absently brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I might… but I'm really not—"

"Potter, Weasley!" Filch barked, finally noticing their whispers. "Move away from each other before you have double detentions!"

"What's that to me?" Lily asked, half-seriously. "You can't give me any more detentions." She relaxed back from her hunched over position over her file on the floor so she could see Filch more easily. "I'm basically untouchable."

Her cool demeanor should have gotten her more detentions, but she was right. Scorpius sat up behind Filch who was completely focused on Lily and started motioning to her to shut her trap before it got her expelled. The greasy old man glared at the fourteen-year-old with beady black eyes. "Now, listen here, Missy. If you keep actin' up like this and keep not doin' your work, I _will_ go to Madame Wilkinson and get bloody permission to tie you up to them old chains I got and do some serious damage. I _will_ make you behave 'round here or else."

"You can't do that!" Rose defied. "It's illegal to use physical harm on the students!"

"Let's see how long that lasts with _her_ around," the caretaker answered gruffly before he pulled Lily up by the collar of her shirt and dragged her to her feet. He roughly pushed her and she staggered forward and would have fallen if Scorpius had not taken a few steps forward and caught her, pulling her close to his chest, a steely glint in his icy eyes. "Potter, work with your beloved Slytherins, but if I hear another sound outta you, you'll get the lickin' of a lifetime."

Actually afraid of the man who could hardly wobble around, Lily clung to Scorpius and buried her face in his chest. "My father will hear of this," Scorpius told the man in such a harsh voice that it made the girl in his arms cringe slightly as she tried to catch her breath at the shock and steady her rapidly beating heart. "You can't do this and not have the parents take their kids out of the school."

"The only one I care about is her," he barked, "now get back to work!" And he slung her file over, just short of where the pair was standing and it landed on its side with a thud in front of Lily, the contents spilling everywhere. She stayed in his arms for a few moments before it would become too long for just friends and steadied herself. She still wasn't willing to leave Scorpius's warm arms and turn back to her drudgery, but she did, just for the sake of not being discovered.

"What did I tell you, Flower?" Scorpius whispered as they settled back to their work, obviously ignoring the whispered jeers of his Quidditch mates. "Didn't I warn you not to do something stupid?" But her face was blank and unresponsive as she wrote out another detention file, not bothering to pick up all the scattered ones.

As they bent over their files, Scorpius very distinctly brushed her hand with his own, and Lily looked up, half-startled. "Midnight," he whispered behind Filch's back. "In the Room of Requirement." She smiled slightly.

OoOxXxOoO

"That was _insane_!" Rose exclaimed on their way back from detention around ten-thirty that night as they winded up the many stairs to the common room. All of the other detentions had been let off two hours earlier. "He can't do anything like that; not without Uncle Harry being furious."

Lily sighed, feeling rather exhausted of the whole subject; her mind had whirled through the exchange all night, and she was rather tired of it now. In the middle of the detention, Filch had gotten out rusted chains from an old drawer and had started cleaning them, trying to make as much noise as possible with them. "I don't want to think about it anymore. What about Julian?"

"Oh," Rose said, her eyes lighting up, even in the moonlight. "I've come to my decision…. I'm going to go out with him, but I'm telling Dad."

Lily stumbled but not from tiredness. "Are you _crazy?_" she spluttered. "Uncle Ron will _kill_ you for going out with a Slytherin!Why don't you just keep him a secret? You've done it plenty of times before!"

"I know," her cousin sighed. "But I want something without pressure, and I'll get nervous if I keep it hidden. So I'm going to write to Mum and Dad and tell them the truth before things get out of hand. It's my own choice, Lils, and I'm not taking it back."

Lily was slightly startled to realize that they were already up the girls' stairs in the Gryffindor Tower and realized that she was more tired than she had expected. "Alright, fine, but your tombstone will say 'Lily told you so.' I'm gonna hit the hay," she told her. "'night."

"'Night," Rosie told her with a smile as she drifted into her dorm. Lily walked into hers and collapsed on the bed. She only remembered to grab the Invisibility Cloak that she had never given back to James and hold it tight to her along with a certain Transylvania Quidditch shirt before she drifted off to sleep, her alarm already set to 11:30.

**So I was really hoping to get a lot more put into this chapter and make it a cliff hanger, but lucky for you, that would've been another 6k words probably and I wanted to update. PLEASE REVIEW! So since this is my Christmas present to you, a review should be your present to me! :D lol I love reading every review and please click the button down there!**


	20. Accusations and Assumptions

**So another chapter… I am always so late but I have legitimate excuse this time! I have exams this week, and they got postponed from last week but I will be done with them by the end of this week! Yay! I hate exams and have been studying so much! But I got like ten reviews in the first few days that I had the story posted! I'm SO PROUD! I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! Because I love getting reviews! So don't hesitate to review please!**

**BTW IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: after this chapter, I will post a one-shot that will serve as a complementary to this story. Just a humorous little blurb I have in my head about Ron finding out about Rose's new announcement and Harry freaking out about some… important information about Lily *evil laugh* and their wives making fun of them. I hope you all read it and of course review when I post it!**

Chapter 20: Accusations and Assumptions

When Lily woke up at precisely 11:56, realizing that she was well on her way to being late to her… well what was it exactly? Sweet Merlin, she prayed it wasn't a date. Weren't girls supposed to freak out about a date days before it was even set to happen and fret over what clothes to wear for hours on end? She glanced down at her rumpled school uniform that she had been too exhausted to change out of before she realized that it was now 11:5_8_ and she was never going to be on time. Hopefully he'd take the excuse that she was 'fashionably late' and not falling in love with the snooze button on her watch.

Lily scampered past her fellow occupants of the fourth-year girls' dorm and tried to shut the door quietly behind her as she left, but the stupid door decided to be loud and squeaky, creaking at the quietest movement she used. She held her breath in suspense when Amanda Thomas groaned loudly and rolled over in her bed before she resumed snoring like a chainsaw. She stumbled her way to the stairs and had padded down about halfway, when she heard a door squeak open, much like hers had. She froze in terror, the wheels of her mind whirring as she tried to come up with an excuse as to why she was up.

She felt like she could have slapped herself when she finally remembered the Invisibility Cloak draped across her arm and she swung it over her body as she heard footsteps coming from one of the girls' dorms padding their way over to the stairs. "Lily, I know you're there. What are you doing out here so late?"

A few curses fell from Lily's lips that she wished were molesting Scorpius's face at the moment, but she took off the cloak to face Rose who was glaring at her with disapproval, almost exactly like the time Aunt Hermione had caught James cheating on one of his summer essays. "Well, nothing in particular, really," Lily evaded, "but why are you awake? I thought you would've fallen asleep by now."

"Well, I was writing my letter to Dad," Rose answered primly. "I was trying to figure out the best words so that he would have a minimal dangerous rage, and it was taking me quite a long time. But Roxy asked me at dinner to return the Marauder's Map to James, and I had it open—"

"Stalker," Lily muttered.

But rose continued as though she hadn't spoken. "And I noticed Scorpius's name disappear into the room of requirement, and you start to move around." Her glare was fierce and unforgiving. "Care to explain?"

"Umm… it was really just going to be a f-friendly chat. I-I-I mean, he saw how upset I got in d-detention and he w-wanted to cheer m-me up." But the stuttering gave Lily's half-lie away.

"Yeah, I suppose a 'friendly chat' is exactly what Zach and Katie Kane are doing up in the Astronomy Tower at this very moment." Lily could see the hurt in Rose's eyes and her mouth went completely dry, her tongue clinging to the pallet of her mouth and not allowing her to speak. "You know that's where that prat takes all of his girls and they have a nice 'talk' and really let their emotions out. Or sometimes, if he thinks a girl is special enough, he takes her into a broom closet where they have a _real_ heart-to-heart."

The words made Lily flinch and she could clearly see how hard it was for Rosie to talk about Smith's next fling, his fifth since her. "Rosie, I think you have—"

"Have what?" she hissed. "The wrong impression?" Rose had taken the words right out of her little cousin's mouth. "Because I don't think I do, Lily." She took a step down the stairs towards Lily, who retreated carefully, her feet finding the next step before she could look back. "I see the way you look at Scorpius, and the way he looks at you when you aren't watching. You two seem to constantly be flirting, sharing these little private messages behind everyone else's back without talking. You two act like more than friends and I know that's exactly what you are."

Lily retreated a few more precarious steps as Rose continued to advance. "Now, Rose, it may _look_ like we're… something more, but we aren't. Scorpius only wanted to cheer me up—"

"How?" Rose interrupted again, "by giving you another hickey? Both of you are horrible at hiding things! I know a secret relationship when I see one! How could you, Lily?" she implored sadly. "You betrayed us all for _Malfoy!_"

"I-I didn't betray anyone," Lily answered quietly, realizing that if Rose got much louder, she'd wake up every Weasley who'd love to have her blood on their hands. "I—really, we—it's just—but Rose—we," she hung her head in shame, giving up. "Just kill me before I have to face James and Albus."

But there was no response. Lily jerked her head up in surprise. Rose half-heartedly smiled. "Maybe I'll just wait to kill you in the morning. Besides, the only thing I found tonight was an empty common room." The younger cousin was shocked by the turn of events and gaped at Rose. "Go," She urged again, physically pushing Lily towards the portrait doorway, "before I change my mind and scream at you until your brothers wake up."

"Thanks, Rosie," Lily squealed, hugging her cousin so hard that the breath whooshed out of Rose. Then she ran out the door, simultaneously throwing the cloak over her shoulders, plunging her into nothing. Lily would have run if she wasn't afraid of someone hearing her shoes slap against the stone floor. She cautiously went as fast as she dared through the corridors, heading to the Room of Requirement. Lucky for her, she was almost twenty minutes late, and Scorpius was waiting for her outside. Before she took off the cloak, she whispered in his ear, "Someone looks a little lonely."

"Well, my date stood me up. It's not a surprise I'm lonely." She could see the hurt behind his teasing ways and sighed loud enough for him to hear. He groped blindly for her hand until she gave it to him, making it look like Scorpius was holding a dismembered hand in the middle of the corridor. He led her inside, behind the plain door that seemed just like every other one in Hogwarts before she shed the cloak and hung it on the little hook right beside the door.

She turned to face him. "Scorp, I'm so sorry—"

"What happened? Did you get in trouble?" Lily could see the concern in his eyes, his hands resting gently on the tops of her arms, but behind the concern was the hurt that she hadn't been on time. She knew that he was giving her the benefit of the doubt, but a part of him suspected that she had done it on purpose.

"Well—no," she answered, unsure if he would be angry with her for Rose finding out. "I—uh—was detained."

Scorpius rolled his eyes before centering them on her face to glare at her. He knew she was beating around the bush and trying to avoid answering the question as a light blush pooled in her cheeks, so faint it was hardly noticeable. "Flower, what did you do?"

"Why do you suddenly assume that everything is _my_ fault?" she asked, only slightly offended. He knew her too well.

His glare was the only answer.

"Rosie knows." The words flew from her lips before she could decide whether or not she even wanted to tell him. Lily's emerald eyes widened as though she had cursed in front of her dad and knew she would be in trouble for it. She shrank away from Scorpius a little, but her hands still rested on his chest.

"Knows about what?" His grey eyes burned like fire with slight mistrust.

She swallowed nervously and shook her head. "Us," she whispered, refusing to look him in the eye, her eyes falling to her trainers, one of which she had forgotten to tie the shoelaces.

His grip tightened on her arms and she winced but not from pain. With a deep breath, his grip relaxed. She looked up, startled, only to find his happy crooked smile on his face. He suddenly laughed, pulling her into his chest and a little uncertain smile of her own spread across her lips. "Is that why you were so frightened? You thought I'd be _mad?_" his words were cut off by another round of laughter. "Flower, she's been glaring at me for weeks. She _knows_ things. I thought she might find out sooner or later. What tipped her off?"

"Er, she caught me sneaking out tonight. That's why I was late." Lily's heartbeat slowed as she felt relief rush through her. "I swear I didn't mean to."

"Merlin," Scorpius breathed, and his hot breath made a few stray strands of hair blow slightly away from the frame of her face. His face was so close to hers that their noses brushed together lightly, sending a little shiver down her arms. "How could I ever be mad with an angel?"

"I'm far from being angelic, Scorpius." Her insides fluttered and twisted and her knees began to feel very wobbly as he began to overpower her, his smell of cinnamon and vanilla making her eyes flutter closed of their own accord as she let herself be immersed in the moment. She leaned forward and their lips connected, sending electricity jolting through her veins The sudden shock that wasn't totally unexpected gave her the sudden urge to twist her fingers in his hair. Lily pressed herself up against him to gain better access to his lips, and Scorpius almost roughly cradled her face in his hands, pulling her closer at every moment.

They tangled together blissfully until Lily pulled away with the intent of not suffocating. Scorpius quietly groaned before he could stop himself and sighed, using his hand to run through his blonde hair. "Merlin, you're right," he told her breathlessly. "You can't be an angel; you're a devil intent on leading me to hell."

She giggled breathlessly. "You caught me. Maybe I'll have to reveal my true form now."

"Merlin, you're probably so sexy underneath."

"Scorp!" she exclaimed, blushing, but his lips captured hers again, his teeth nibbling on her lower lip, which effectively cut off her protests as she moaned quietly into his mouth. His fingers slowly traced their way up and down her spine, sending tingling shivers to her very fingertips.

He pulled back suddenly checking his watch, and Lily did her best to stay quiet although it seemed impossible to have to be complacent while he tortured her. He cursed when he saw that the watch proclaimed that it was a quarter till one. "I have to be back in my dorm at one."

"So soon?" Lily asked with quiet disappointment.

He kissed her cheek lightly. "Well, it would've been longer if _someone_ hadn't been late." She was about to protest but he said, "It doesn't matter Lily, I'm not mad, I just had something I needed to show you."

She took a step forward, "And what would that be?"

"Well, my dad wrote me today, telling me fantastic news."

"Scorpius Malfoy, you're wasting time!" she exclaimed impatiently.

His grey eyes danced with amusement, and he chuckled. "He told me that your family will be coming to our annual Christmas Ball that we hold for important figures in the Ministry. We simply must keep up our relations." He smiled at her knowingly. "And, as you probably know, a ball requires ballroom dancing."

"Scorpius, what are you going on about?" Then she suddenly realized what was so different about this room; he had changed it into a ballroom with shining hardwood floors and even dance shoes on a shelf in the corner, every size and every color. "You're going to teach me how to dance?"

He nodded and led her over to the shoes and selected a pair of gold high heels. She stared at them incredulously as he held them out, waiting for her to take them. "You've got to be kidding me. I can't _walk_ in heels, much less _dance_ in them!"

"Which is exactly why we are doing this," he answered. "So that you may show off your superior skills to your brothers when you show them up."

She struggled into the deathtraps and wobbled around in them when she stood up. "If you expect me to dance with you, you're going to have awfully bloody feet by the time we're through."

He laughed, turning on the magic record player that the room had provided for them. A lovely orchestra began to fill the room with the music. Scorpius placed one of her hands on his shoulder and took the other in his hand, his remaining hand resting on her waist. He waited for the proper beat before he slowly led Lily into the music steps, showing her slowly and counting with each step. She did well for two steps, then she stumbled and stepped on his foot. He grunted in pain and she stopped moving. "Oh, Merlin, Scorp, I _told_ you I'd be rotten at this!"

He smiled weakly. "It's alright, Flower. I'm not a complete wimp of a man. Let's try it again." They started at the right beat again and he started counting. Soon, Lily's voice joined his although he suspected by the intent way that she was focusing on her feet that she wasn't even realizing she was doing it.

"Gah," he shut his mouth quickly, trying not to let her see how much pain she had inflicted this time when she stepped on him.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" she said, stepping out of the reach of his arms.

He smiled lightly to make her feel better. "Flower, it's not like I'm going to die. Just relax, and we can try it again." But he glanced at his clock and cursed, throwing off his dancing shoes, and trying to find his trainers. "I told Julian I'd be back at one! How on earth is it one forty?" He found his shoes but didn't even bother to put them on, grabbing them and rushing over to her. He kissed her chastely on the mouth. "I've gotta run, doll. I have _no_ idea what I'm going to tell him!"

"Tell him you found a couple snogging in a broom closet while you were out and it detained you because it's part of your prefect duties," she suggested as she struggled out of her own shoes while trying to maintain her balance. "Do you need the cloak? You should take it with you so you won't get caught. I don't need it anyways."

"You're a lifesaver, doll." He raced to the door and grabbed the cloak off of the hook. "See you in the morning, and I'm sorry for so rudely leaving you here on your own."

"I'll consider it as payback for causing serious damage to your feet."

OoOxXxOoO

It quickly became regular for their meetings to be brief and short. Neither one of them had much time to start with, and it was made more difficult by snooping brothers and nosy friends. Rose tried to cover for Lily most of the time, but it only succeeded for an hour or so. Between the opposing Quidditch practices, loads of homework, and sneaking out and avoiding being caught, they had hardly any time to themselves. Over the next two weeks, they were lucky if they had an hour of time to spend with each other. Both carried dark circles under their eyes from meetings late at night, and Scorpius was found with many bruises on his feet although he refused to give up teaching her how to dance. She slowly began to improve but it was impossible to do so if they had no time to practice. Lily noticed her grades beginning to drop slowly, and more than one teacher asked her about it. Her regular detentions only made things worse, but she tried to pass off her dropping grades as a result from them.

On a Monday morning, Lily sat down beside Rose at the Gryffindor table and begged her to help with the Goblin Wars because she had fallen asleep in Professor Binns's class and couldn't remember anything. Rose rolled her eyes. "You're doing this to yourself."

"What am I supposed to do, Rose?" she countered. "We have no other time but at night. Are we just supposed to not see each other?"

"There's no need to be snappy with me," Rose admonished, and Lily realized that the lack of sleep was making her meaner, too. "I'm only trying to help, and I'm not suggesting that you don't see him at all, just not every night. Take one or two nights out of the week to rest and relax, and maybe try to spend more time together on the weekends when you haven't got your studies to worry about as much."

"That's a good—"

Suddenly a blood-curdling scream echoed through the Great Hall, plunging it into utter silence as a girl stood up from the Gryffindor table, a fourth year. Lily quickly realized that she wasn't screaming because she was hurt, but because of something in the Daily Prophet that she clutched in her hands, with a smile playing at her lips. "Oh my GAWD!" she exclaimed. Even the teachers seemed to be wondering if she was mentally healthy. "'_Lily Luna Potter Gets Caught Dating Scorpius Malfoy'_!"

Lily's heart stopped for a moment. Her eyes darted to the table where Scorpius had dropped his fork and it landed with a loud clatter that echoed through the hall on his plate. "_What?_" Lily looked up uncertainly to see that both Albus and James were standing up, towering over her. "YOU'RE DATING MALFOY?" James's face was completely red and Albus was almost there.

Lily stood up, her hands resting on the table for support because black spots were dancing in her vision and the room seemed to be rocking back and forth. "Merlin's dirty underpants, of course I'm not!" The words came out with enough conviction that they wouldn't suspect her of lying straightaway. "We're friends! You both know that! Why would we ever be anything more?"

"Why would I stoop so low as to date a Potter?" Scorpius yelled from across the Hall. "I could have my pick of girls and I'd want a Potter? Someone I _know_ whose family would beat me up? You honestly think that I'm _that_ dumb?"

"I don't know _what_ to think!" Albus yelled.

But all of them were suddenly distracted by girls begging for the first one to read the paper aloud. If there was ever a time for the teachers to intervene, Lily begged silently, it would be now. "'Miss Lily Luna Potter,'" the girl began to read, to almost everyone's tangible excitement, "'has rebelled against her father, the one and only Harry Potter who defeated Voldemort himself, and, knowing how furious her father would be, has been having a secret affair with none other than Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, the son of Harry Potter's vile school enemy, Draco Malfoy. Lily Potter seduced Scorpius into falling in love with her, just to spite her father, and gain revenge on him. Secretly, Dear Readers, it is rather obvious that she does this out of a psychological need to be greater than her own father.

"' I, Rita Skeeter, found myself delving right into the information to get the dirty facts about this dirty story and reveal a truth that has long been hidden. Sources have told me that Miss Potter and the young Malfoy were only "friends," a term used much too loosely by my standards. Readers, I saw them hanging all over each other with my own eyes and listened in on their own hidden conversations. This relationship at first started as a way for Lily to secretly rebel against her father, although she would reveal her secret dealings later, but it quickly morphed into an almost Romeo and Juliet standard where they developed true feelings for each other and kept it hidden for fear of being caught by their rivaling fathers. The two have been secretly dating for months, and were obviously much too close to be "just friends."

"'I assure you, Dearest Readers, that I dug as deep as I could and found all of their dirty little secrets. For _weeks_ they have stolen off to hidden broom closets and perhaps the Astronomy Tower once or twice to have a good snog and perhaps more. Almost every night, both were found sneaking out of bed to have just a few moments of peace in their own lust-filled world where passion reigned and experiments, more often than not, turned "fun." I personally heard them as they filled their desolate lives with their love for each other, and filled the darkness with comforting words of love and revelations. As much as I know you would enjoy it, Beloved Readers, I cannot go into all the inappropriate details of what was said behind those closed doors, but only that their love is like a burning flame that has quickly consumed their lives. But now I have revealed to you the reason why Lily has been sporting a hickey on her neck for the past few weeks, and why they snuggle up much too close together in public. Now, you know the darkest secret of Lily Luna Potter and Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy.'"

Lily felt like she would retch up her breakfast. The lies were twisted so deviously and so untruthfully that there could be no way that anyone could believe her. But when she looked into the eyes of those staring straight at her, she knew that they had lapped up the gossip and rumor like a dog needing water in a hot August. She started panicking and hyperventilating.

"Care to explain?" James asked in his deadly quiet voice that sounded like their dad's when he got furious. Harry never yelled; he used this creepy voice that terrified her.

"You honestly believe something that _Rita Skeeter_ says? We're talking about the woman who said that Dad and Aunt Hermione were in love and she was cheating on Dad with that Viktor Krum bloke." She folded her arms across her chest. "You're going to believe that _liar_ over me, you're sister that you've known for fourteen years?"

"There's always a grain of truth in a good lie." Lily was a little surprised that Albus would be the one who provided this information on lying, seeing as he used it less often than James.

"Yeah," Lily agreed in exasperation, "and the grain of truth would be that we're _close friends_ but _**nothing more**_." She saw their stony expression and threw her arms in the air. "How can you believe that? She made it out like I'd had _SEX_ with him or something! I would _never_ do anything so—so effing _**stupid!**_"

"Like I would do that either," Scorpius added. He had come over to the table to stand behind Lily. When she met his eyes, he raised an eyebrow. "You 'have psychological need to be greater than your father' so you used me?"

"Merlin, Scorpius, don't tell me you believe any of that!"

"I'm just not entirely sure that you didn't give her a reason to write this article."

"You think—I – but you—but—" she stumbled over the words because she was so angry although she knew Scorpius was pulling an act to provoke her. Suddenly, everything bubbled up in her and she let out a stream of heavy curses, calling Rita Skeeter and her article every dirty name that her brothers and Scorpius had used in front of her. The language was so foul that even James, the master of all things having to do with curse words, seemed taken aback by her fluent vocabulary.

"I'd say that this ordeal has gone on quite long enough." Madame Wilkinson stood over the group. Her lips were a thin line, forming a terrifying scowl. "Miss Potter, you will come to my office for detention tonight, and we will see how long it takes for you to get those words out of your mouth. Now, all of you run along before I tell the professors that they are welcome to hand out detentions for being late." Everyone stared at her for a moment before she snapped, "_Get moving!_"

Every student scrambled to gather their things and rushed off to class which was apparently starting early today. Lily grabbed her bag, sending a weak glare to Scorpius before she walked out of the Great Hall all alone. But the corridors were crowded with people, many familiar faces, and all of them stopped walking to stare at her and whisper to their neighbor.

"I wonder if she's pregnant."

"I bet her dad's gonna kill her."

"He could do so much better."

"I always knew she was more of a slut than her cousin."

"She's probably done this with half of the male population already."

Her cheeks burned and she sluggishly made her way down to Potions class, intent at looking at nothing but the stone stairs beneath her feet. But it didn't stop her from hearing all of the crude things said about her. Tears threatened to overflow from her emerald eyes, but she blinked them away, her throat aching from the effort of not sobbing. The gossip mill of Hogwarts had found its newest victim. She had never hated being Harry Potter's daughter as much as she did then.

**REALLY IMPORTANT: I don't know whether or not I should make another chapter between this and their Christmas break after I write the one-shot, so I NEED your opinion desperately! The Christmas chapter will be extremely important, so I don't know if you'll want to wait longer for it or not! Please tell me in a review!**

**Also from now on, I'm going to ask that if you add this story to your favorites list or have already that you PLEASE review!**


	21. State of Emergency

**So I know it's been FOREVER since I've updated, but please forgive me. I've been having a seriously terrible time with writer's block and I can't seem to shake it anytime soon, so updates are increasingly scarce. D: Also, I just can't find the inspiration to write that one-shot and maybe after I get through my writer's block I will go back and attempt it, but Thanks to everyone who has updated and I'm so excited about how close we are getting to 100 reviews! Your opinion is very important to me, so please don't overlook the little blue review button at the end! I love all of you who have been supporting my story! Onwards with the story FINALLY!**

Chapter 21: State of Emergency

"James, why the _hell_ are stalking me?"

Lily was _not_ in a good mood. A week of the rumors about her and Scorpius had seriously depleted her patience, and James, who had been stalking her ever since that stupid girl had read Skeeter's article, was not helping at all. The strain gave her a constant, throbbing headache, and she was furious at all of the stares and whispers directed at her. Could people at least _try_ to be a little bit more discreet? She had not even got to see Scorpius since that article suddenly appeared. Neither of them had the opportunity to sneak away.

"I'm not stalking you! I'm _watching_ you!" He put on a look of almost mock outrage at the very thought that he would be stalking his baby sister.

Lily smacked him upside the back of his head. "Merlin, if you weren't my brother, I would beat the crap out of you for being a creeper."

"Ouch!" he yelped. "What the hell? Is it your time of month or something?"

She smacked him upside the head again. "Go away, you prat."

"No," he defied, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm not letting you out of my sight because the moment that I do, you'll run off to go snog Malfoy."

She couldn't resist. She smacked him again. "Listen closely: I am _not_ going to go snog Malfoy because _we are not dating_ for the zillionth time!" Lily sighed and rubbed her forehead gently, trying to ease the pounding. This had been no doubt the worst week of her life. Before James had a chance to reply, she stalked away, through the halls. She had been on her way to the common room, but as soon as she reached Gryffindor Tower, she stormed into her dorm, her face red with fury. She fell onto her bed and screamed into her pillow to relieve some of her tension.

This was not happening. This was not happening… She tried to chant those words in her head, convince herself that it didn't matter, but it did. Lily was almost ready to admit to the world that yes, she had snogged Scorpius many, many times, if it only meant that they would all leave her bloody well alone. She felt ready to crash and burn, and she couldn't handle the looks she got anymore. She had lost count of how many bloody people had asked her if she was pregnant!

Unable to sit still, stewing with her own tension, she sat up and left the dorm, going down to the common room. Kids of all ages wreaked havoc, her cousin Fred trying to blow up the couches. Hugo, the only cousin almost as young as her, had found a relatively peaceful corner where he had curled up to read a book, much like Aunt Hermione would do. Lily went to him and sat down beside him. "Hugo, can I talk to you?"

He shut the book with a snap. "Thank Merlin. Mum's making me read that book and Rosie's enforcing it. It's so boring!"

Lily smiled wanly. "Hugo, do you think that I'm dating Scorpius? Do you really believe the lies?"

His brown eyes bored into her, making her feel like he would mind-read the truth right out of her. "I think you should stop PMS-ing about this to me, and just go talk to your boyfriend."

"WHAT THE HELL!" she shrieked, standing up. "Why does everyone think I'm flipping on my period? AND HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!"

Her face was turning the color of a cherry but freckled Hugo just sat there calmly, looking up at her. "First of all, good work on shouting to the world that you might be on your period, second, you need to calm down. Thirdly, I can tell, because you're protesting so vehemently. If he weren't your boyfriend, you wouldn't give a damn about putting up a fight and you'd still hang out with him, no matter what anyone says."

She flushed with embarrassment but muttered, "Why do Aunt Hermione's kids have to be so damn smart?" Hugo grinned proudly. "Shut up, Hugo."

He shrugged. "I never said anything."

Her glare with bright emerald eyes cut off any further argument, and she stalked out of the common room, muttering to herself about how there was no more privacy in this damn world anymore. If Hugo could tell, did that mean the others could too? Nervously, her stomach knotting painfully, she reverted to chewing her nails. It was a nasty habit, true, but the nerves had to be released somewhere. The corridors were empty for the most part, and she passed only a few students, most on their way to the library to finish up some forgotten essay. She pushed her hair out of her eyes, staring down at her shoes as she walked. Suddenly, she slammed into someone and stumbled backwards and would have fallen if there hadn't been a wall. The paintings behind her complained and said many rude things, and, as she straightened her dress, she fired the words right back at them.

"Are you alright, Flower?"

Lily blinked, finally paying attention to whoever she had run into. Scorpius was staring at her with amusement glinting in his eyes. Of course he already knew she was perfectly fine by the strength of her vehement curses but had asked out of the formality ingrained into his mind since childhood. Scorpius looked fine, maybe a little tired and worn around the edges, but considering the weight of gossip around here, Lily thought he seemed as though he had done very well, except for a cut on his cheek that hadn't been there when she'd seen him at breakfast this morning. "Scorpius!" She ran into his arms and hugged him tightly, resisting the tears that wanted to pour from her spirit in relief. His cheek rested on her head, and she realized just how much she had missed this. "I missed you," she told him in her small voice.

She could almost hear him smile. "How are you, Flower? I know things have been hard, but—"

Lily pulled away from him. "I'm fine, Scorp. I may be ready to murder every bloody person at Hogwarts, but I'm managing. And you?" A sudden intuition kicked in. "Where did you get hurt?" Her finger hardly traced the cut.

To her mild surprise he blushed and his silver eyes looked away from her face to her free hand, which he took in one of his. "It's nothing you need to worry about, Lily."

"_I'll_ decide if I'm going to bother worrying about it," she asserted.

His eyes flickered up to her face again where he saw the short temper rising and decided it was best to simply give in. "I, uh, got into a little skirmish with some of the guys from my Quidditch team…"

Her eyes narrowed. "Why?"

He shuffled uncomfortably. "Um, well, they _may_ have been making lewd jokes about… us, and I _may_ have punched one in the face and it _may_ have ended with us hexing each other…"

"Scorpius!" Lily wasn't sure whether she should be furious or concerned or all sweet that he had protected her name. None of them seemed like good alternatives. "You can't just, just run around bopping people on the head when they start talking about us!"

"You didn't hear what they were saying!" Beneath the warm grey, she sensed the hurt he felt. Their voices were rising too quickly, but Lily didn't think she could handle a fight between them.

The thought of being cut off from him as well made her quiet and she almost whispered, "Fine, I'm sorry. We're both on edge right now and we can't let it get to us."

He sucked in a breath as though he was about to yell again and then he paused, definitely not expecting that. "Oh," he relaxed. "I'm sorry you have to go through this," he told her in his soft, melodic voice. Scorpius cradled her head in his hands softly and kissed her forehead, his lips leaving a burning ring of fire and electricity that made her ache to be able to kiss him. But this time they were certain they heard footsteps and murmuring voices. Exchanging a look, both left, unable to say another word. Lily ran the opposite direction, careful that her shoes weren't heard on the floor until the unknown students were well out of earshot.

After running for what seemed forever, Lily slowed down catching her breath and trying to decide where she should go. She still had two hours to kill before she had to show up to detention, and she had been eating supper in the kitchen the past week like most of her other meals to avoid people staring at her. What had happened to her piles of homework? With a frown she realized the professors thought it was too close to Christmas for anyone to give out homework. She supposed she would just go to the kitchens and talk to Winky and get fat, but when she looked to see which way to go, she realized she didn't immediately know the way to the kitchens from here. The area seemed familiar, but she didn't remember where she was. Just one of the many corridors with many empty and unused classrooms. Cursing, she found a door that was cracked opened and wondered if there might be someone in there.

Lily's heart beat nervously. Why would someone be down at this end of the castle anyways? Quietly she approached the door and pulled out her wand for good measure. She pushed open the door a little by mistake and it creaked open loudly. Her breath caught, but no one was in the room. The empty classroom was dusty, probably hadn't been used since before her father was here by the amount of dust that was hardly disturbed. The tables had all been pushed to the sides and the windows were covered with black drapes, but through the dim light, she made out a huge shape on the other side of the room. "_Lumos_," she muttered softly and the tip of her wand ignited with a burst of light. A mirror with Latin inscribed on it. A tidal wave of sudden déjà vu swept over her suddenly, and she whirled around, trying to be certain that the door hadn't locked and trapped her inside again. It was still wide open. With bated breath, she waited for that haunting voice to creep out at her and whisper, "_poor Lily,_" like it always did.

The only sounds she could hear was her labored breath and the adrenaline pumping in her ears. She should leave, she knew she should. But curiosity called her. She had been attacked at the Quidditch pitch, but she never stopped going there; why should she be so terrified of this one tiny classroom? Bravely, she took a deep breath and stepped farther into the room, her emerald eyes flickering back to the door every few seconds. Purposefully, she avoided the grand mirror that stretched to the ceiling as she examined the desks or anything else that might have some clue as to what the purpose of this place was. A sort of writing was etched into one of the desks and she smoothed away the dust, coughing loudly, to read it. _"James Potter and Lily Evans Potter," _the desk's writing almost seemed familiar, reminding her of Albus's writing style but had little differences, too. With shock she realized that it was her grandparents.

"Are we enjoying snooping in old classrooms?"

Lily almost choked when she gasped and jumped simultaneously, thinking for a moment that it was _her_, but the voice was wheezy, and too deep to be female. She turned around but no one was in the room. "W-who are y-you?" she asked, her voice wavering.

A chuckle filled the room and she couldn't help but think that she had heard that strangely familiar voice before. "Do you not know me, Miss Potter? One would assume that after all of the times that you have spoken to me in the Headmistress's office that you would remember me."

Her eyes widened and she finally recognized the voice and the source of sound. She had been so intent on avoiding the Mirror of Erised that she had completely missed the now-filled painting of Albus Dumbledore. "Professor Dumbledore!" She scrambled over to the painting to see his electric blue eyes staring out at her with that glint of amusement. "Why would you have a painting in this dusty old room?"

He chuckled. "I believe I should be asking you why you have ended up here yet again."

Her cheeks tinted pink. "I wandered off again."

"Strange that you would end up in this particular room twice by chance."

"Honestly, Professor!" she insisted, "I came here by accident!"

Once again, his light chuckle filled the room. "I have no doubt that you are telling the truth, but I am simply pointing out the coincident that you would come across this room not once but twice."

"Is it more than a coincident?"

His blue eye sparkled, telling her that she had gotten it right, but she was immediately frustrated by his answer. "I have not the power to tell you that, for only you truly know the answer. This is not a matter of my opinions or suspicions, but a matter of what you know and what you believe."

"So…" she struggled to keep up with his logic that was nowhere near to being touched by a fourteen-year-old-girl. "So, if I believe that it's not a coincident, then it isn't…?"

"What do you believe?" he asked with infuriating smartness.

She frowned. "Fine. You could have just not told me."

He chuckled. "Many times it is as though we are looking at life through a fog, unable to see more than a few steps ahead of where we are now. We blunder through the fog, occasionally tripping and making mistakes, but eventually, the fog will clear away and the sun will shine brightly. We will have no more troubles or problems, and it will seem as though our lives are perfect."

"But the fog could always come back," she returned, picking apart his little analogy. "We can never depend on anything. It could start raining after the sun shines, or even snow. How can we ever be sure that the sun will shine?"

"Exactly," he agreed. "But many times, those curious muggle weather-men will warn us."

Lily rolled her emerald eyes. "But how rarely often are they even right? And you sort of lost me there. I'm not sure I understand you."

Dumbledore smiled pleasantly at her. "In a way, although it is rarely accurate, they predict the future, much like you do yourself."

She raised her eyebrows. "So I'm a… weather-woman?"

"In a way," he clarified. "You, and you alone, know when the next storm will blow over, and when the next disaster will strike."

"But I can't even remember what I'm saying," she protested. "You should ask Scorpius, or James, or Albus, or Rosie. They all know what I see, but they never tell me."

"You may not remember it, but it is always within your mind although you never realize it yourself."

Lily, who was very tightly strained at this point, glared. "I don't understand this."

"Alas," Dumbledore sighed with a shake of his head and a smile. "As difficult as it may seem now, the pieces will fit together later. I remember your father saying that he didn't understand so many times." In the picture, he took a piece of candy from the bowl on the table next to him and popped it in his mouth. "There is only one more thing I have to say to you, Miss Potter. Beware this mirror. Though it may show you what you wish for, it is still a fantasy. Your father also stumbled across this mirror once, and he became very attached to the image it held for him, and I hope that you are not the same."

Lily glanced at the large mirror that was only reflecting the empty classroom at the moment, although she remembered what Scorpius had said about it. She waved slightly as Dumbledore stood up and walked away from the painting, her eyebrows furrowed in thought. She tentatively took a few steps over until she stood directly in front of the Mirror of Erised and waited or something to happen.

A little movie seemed to play out as soon as she stepped forward. Scorpius ran in, and she had to double-check that he hadn't really entered the room. In the mirror, he picked Lily up and spun her around, before he kissed her gently. But Albus and James were watching, along with her mum and dad and all of the Weasley family. Instead of getting furious or angry, they smiled and laughed, James and Albus silently saying something that made mirror-Lily blush, making fun probably, and many of them shook hands with Scorpius, smiling and patting him on the back. Suddenly, Draco and Astoria Malfoy made an appearance, and both gave mirror-Lily a hug. Mr. Malfoy fell into a group with her dad and Uncle Ron, and they chatted like they had never been enemies. Narcissa appeared, too, and Grandmum welcomed her like her own sister. The Malfoys all hugged Teddy, treating him for once like their own family. The scene slowly took more form, and they all seemed to be crowded outside the Burrow, like many of the gatherings the family had. Mirror-Lily and Scorpius stayed glued to each other, shamelessly holding hands and at one point, she whispered in his ear and they snuck off to the line of trees not far away. The scene followed them to where they talked silently and exchanged light kisses until James caught them, and playfully teased them about it, giving the blushing pair a terribly hard time.

Lily felt like she couldn't breathe. Her fingers slowly traced the cool glass, and she wished so desperately that she could just slip right in to that perfect world, where everyone accepted her and Scorpius for what they were, and their parents weren't fighting or acting like they were stepping on eggshells around each other. James didn't care who she was dating and neither did Albus although they both teased her endlessly, but that was to be expected from brothers. She didn't know if she stood there motionlessly for hours or for minutes or for seconds, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the perfect scene before her. She wanted so badly for it to be real.

Something startled her out of her trance, something poking her, and she screamed like the world was coming to an end. Laughter sounded loud and clear, and Albus pulled off the Invisibility Cloak, grinning happily."_Albus!_" she squealed, hitting him half-heartedly. "How did you even find me?"

He grinned and waved the map in front of her face, his floppy black hair hanging in his eyes. "You never showed up at the common room again after Hugo made you go AWOL, so I had to look for you. It's about time for dinner anyways."

"Oh," she said simply, remembering that there was a real world other than the mirror-world where everything was perfect. She glanced at it forlornly for a moment, and she and Scorpius snogged in front of anyone they wanted. Lily blushed, hoping Albus couldn't see what was there.

Unfortunately he noticed and he peered around her, taking in the Latin inscription and the glass that wasn't necessarily reflective. "This is the Mirror of Erised?" She nodded and he stepped around her until he was in front of her, peering at the glass as though analyzing it. His emerald eyes grew huge and he pointed excitedly. "Look, look, Lily! It's Grandmum and Grandad, from Dad's side of the family! And Alicia! She's—" he cut off, blushing. "OOhh…"

Lily rolled her eyes at the inflection of his single word. "It's not going to happen, Albus. Just leave it be and don't waste your time. Shouldn't we be getting to dinner where a _real_ Alicia is waiting for you?" She tugged on his arm to no avail.

"Look, Lilsies! Mum doesn't care and neither does Dad!" He smashed himself so close to the mirror that his nose was touching it. "And James isn't even making fun of me for once!"

"Because it's not real!" Lily snapped, pulling on his arm harshly until she dragged him a step or two away. Albus shook his head, falling out of his trance.

"What was that for? You stood there like an idiot for forever! Why are you being so hypocritical? Let me have five minutes more!" Lily had almost never seen him so vehement about something, except for when her parents thought they might send her to St. Mungo's. She took a startled step backwards, her hand releasing his arm.

"Albus, it's not real, and we need to promise each other that we will _never_ come back here. Watching a fantasy will never make it come true." Her voice shook, but she knew how difficult it would be not to return. How could she forget something so enchanting? "C'mon, Al. We should go to dinner."

Albus took a wistful glance at the mirror and them to her outstretched hand. He sighed. "I really hate your logic." He took her hand and let her lead him away. Lily shut the door tightly behind them and cast a charm to lock it so that at least they'd have to think twice about coming back. Grinning, they suggested a competition and raced down to the Great Hall, Albus winning by a fraction of a second. They stumbled into the Great Hall with red faces and aching sides from laughing and running. For the first time in a week, it was nice just to mess around and have fun with her brother. As they laughed, Lily dragged Albus over to the Slytherin table and sat him down beside her. He looked a little uncomfortable with all the funny looks they were receiving but Lily thought, to hell with it, and greeted Scorpius and Alicia with bright smiles.

Lily and Alicia ended up switching seats, bringing around the end of any conversation with either Al or Alicia. Scorpius grinned nice and bright when she sat down right next to him. "Nice to see you around again."

She grinned, her whole face lighting up. "I'm extraordinarily tired of drama."

"I second that."

She punched him lightly in the arm. "Whatever happened to practicing? I still fail horribly at dancing."

He nudged her slightly in return. "Yeah right. My feet tell me to say that you are the most magnificent dancer I've ever come across just so I won't have to teach you anymore. But my head's telling me that you'll probably hex me if I let you make a fool of yourself."

"Are you kidding me?" her light little laugh cut through the loud voices of every other student at Hogwarts. "I wouldn't just hex you; I'd do so much worse."

He saw the glint in her eyes and shakily murmured, "Oh, dear sweet Merlin… When do you want to do those lessons again?"

She laughed. "I actually have nothing tonight. Are you too busy studying for your OWLs?"

"Are we planning our next date, lovebirds?" Zabini snickered from the other side of Scorpius, who promptly punched him not-so-softly in the gut. Julian doubled over, gasping for breath and laughing. "That… was worth it."

"Shut up, Zabini," Scorpius said with one of his deadly looks, but Lily put a calming hand on his arm.

"Do you want to come enjoy our date with us, Julian? It's not going to be much of date."

That put his light out. He frowned. "Gross, no. I don't want to watch you two suck each other's face off all night."

"Bring Rosie," Lily suggested. "And we can ask James and Albus and Alicia. Hell, let's make a party out of it."

"That sounds pretty good to me," Scorpius agreed. "C'mon, Julian. Hang out with your girlfriend."

"Fine," he huffed with slight disappointment. Everything was set in motion before the meal was over. Alicia and Albus were excited and James thought he could woo Kathleen if he took her dancing. Rosie squealed and was delighted when a blushing Julian asked her, and Hugo got invited with his Ravenclaw girlfriend, Sara-Lynn Harksen. The rendezvous point was set for the Room of Requirement.

Rose and Lily walked there together, their brothers running late, giggling about how it was sort of exciting that they would be having a fake sort of ball. When they got there, they were the first ones, and Lily paced in front of the wall three times. The room was larger than what she and Scorpius used, and there was a plethora of fancy high-heeled shoes. Kathleen and Sara-Lynn arrived at the same time, talking about the Weasley/Potter clan. Alicia and the guys were the last to arrive, the Slytherins and Gryffindors coming in separate groups. Although there was a bit of unease between Scorpius and Lily's brothers, lively conversation started up, and everyone began to feel more comfortable.

James threatening to leave of boredom because he was only here to impress Kathleen, but it was working too well for him to actually act on the impulse. Scorpius suggested that they actually get around to ballroom dancing and he put on the music. James wrinkled his nose while the girls giggled. Feeling lightheaded, it was almost too natural for Lily to slip into Scorpius's arms as all the other couples were doing. Scorpius smoothly led her into the music, and she tried to concentrate on the dance steps although her mind was really calculating how long it had been since she was truly this close to Scorpius. Occasionally, someone would yelp when their foot was stepped on and a low murmur of speech was always kept up, but neither of them said anything. "Oops," she said, biting her lip, when Scorpius yelled out rather loudly.

James, of course laughed, dancing nearby. "Merlin, Lilsies, he'll have to have his feet amputated by the time he's done dancing with you."

"Shut your piehole, James." She glared, but everyone else, including Scorpius laughed.

When they resumed dancing and James had diverted his attention to not stepping on Kathleen's feet, Scorpius whispered gently in her ear, "You're so adorable when you're angry at anyone else but me."

Her heart sped up a little, but she growled, "Well, if you keep it up, I'm not going to be adorable for much longer."

He only pulled his mischievous crooked smile, which distracted her and she accidentally stepped on his foot, much, much harder this time. The force made him lose his balance, and they both toppled over, collapsing in a heap on the floor. The breath whooshed out of her lungs, and she tried to catch herself, only jarring her wrist. Everyone stopped dancing suddenly and rushed over to the pair in a tangled mess on the floor. Albus helped Lily off from on top of Scorpius, and Julian and James helped Scorpius up. His nose was bleeding, and his arm had been twisted at a horrible angle as he grunted in pain. "Oh, Scorpius, I'm so sorry!"

"Ibs Nofing, Flower." His good arm moved to cover his nose to staunch the bleeding. She ignored the pain in her wrist and rushed over to him, a hand subconsciously moving to his shoulder, careful not to touch his arm that was limp at his side.

"No, it's definitely not 'nothing'. I freaking broke your arm!"

"Lily, relax," Julian intervened before they both got into a ridiculous fight. "Madame Pomphrey will fix him up in a heartbeat."

"I _broke_ his _arm!_"

James snickered. "Good work, Lily." She smacked him upside the head. Again.

They helped him out of the Room and down the corridors, Lily hovering nearby but hesitant to get too close. She must be cursed with clumsiness that affected everyone except her. The other girls went back to their common rooms, and James, Hugo, and Albus escorted them back. She bit her lip, but Scorpius kept trying to make lame jokes about his predicament. "Dink aboub it, Flower," he said, hindered by his bloody nose. "Nowb we can bothb hab crookeb nobes."

"If I hadn't already almost killed you tonight, I'd smack you right now," she muttered to which he grinned before wincing.

"What happened here?" Lily looked up to see Madame Wilkinson looking down at them with one of her disapproving sneers.

Alicia spoke up, thankfully for Lily who didn't think she could speak up. "Scorpius was teaching Lily how to dance, and she screwed up and they both fell. He fell on his arm and got smashed in the nose. We were taking him to Madame Pomphrey."

Wilkinson nodded before she turned to Lily with that ugly sneer that she so despised. "Miss Potter, don't you have an appointment you should be keeping?" Her cold eyes pierced Lily, but she didn't understand what the headmistress wanted from her.

Realization dawned on her. "Oh, _crap!_" She pulled off her heels and raced down the corridor, the shoes clacking together in her hands. "I'm sooorrryy, Madame Wilkinson! I'm so freaking sooorrryy!" How could she have forgotten about detention? She had been going to it every night since September! Filch was going to murder her, and he wouldn't do it nicely.

She ignored her friends asking where she was going as her feet slapped on the cold stone floor down the steps, not stopping even when she almost tumbled down the stairs. She burst right through the door, almost smacking Filch in the face. She gasped for breath, trying to sound respectful. "I'm _so_ sorry. I forgot."

"How could you forget detention?" Filch snarled.

"I just did. There's no excuse for it."

"There sure as hell isn't! You'll make up for the lost time, you can bet on that." She winced. His greasy hair hung in strings around him and he handed her the box of cleaning supplies. He dragged her by the arm into a corridor that wasn't in use much anymore and had layers of dust everywhere. He shoved her into the first room and the stirring of dust had her coughing. "When this corridor is done, you can leave. I'll come back every hour to check on your progress. Wand."

She glared at him as she handed over her wand. She looked back to the room and sighed. This was going to be a _long_ night. She dusted and moped and had piles of dust filing up plastic garbage bags. It took her two hours just to finish the first room, and Filch made her go back and clean some more because it wasn't his version of spotless. Her lungs filled with the dust until she choked on it and wheezed until she could gain something of a fresh breath. She scrubbed the stone floor of the corridor with five brushes that turned the color of wet soot and sparkled until it was more like glass than stone. Lily gritted her teeth together and tried to complain as little as possible, knowing she deserved… most of it. But he held true to what he had threatened, and Lily didn't go back to Gryffindor Tower that night. Her arms and back ached from bending over and even her neck and legs ached from the pressure that wasn't usually applied to them. At four in the morning, she fell asleep while she was scrubbing the door to the third room, but at least Filch was nice enough not to kick her awake. He 'nudged' her with his foot. Her clothes were smeared with dust, grime, and her skin and hair made her feel like she had just attracted all the dust to her like a magnetic force. She didn't really care though. All night, her mind dwelled on Scorpius and how he was; she worried over him, a tense ball of nerves twisting and growing larger and larger.

The sun startled her out of her work when it finally managed to appear through one of the now-squeaky-clean windows and the sky bled orange and red, calling to the world to wake up and start a new day. Filch came in to check on her five minutes after she noticed, and she asked, "Please, can't I go now?"

"Have you finished cleaning this entire corridor?" She shook her head. "Then, no!" he barked at her rudely, and she flinched. "When you finish your job I'll let you go."

"But I have _classes_!" she protested.

"Work!" he yelled and left without further argument. She wondered vaguely if she could strangle him and get away with leaving the country before her dad found her. Another coughing fit distracted her from planning Filch's murder, and she wearily returned to her task.

Madame Wilkinson came in an hour later with Filch, and Lily could have cried with relief, thinking that Wilkinson would let her go. Maybe, if she skipped breakfast and grabbed something at the Hospital Wing, she could check in on Scorpius before classes started unless he had already left. "How is your work going, Miss Potter?"

"As well as it can, ma'am. I've worked as hard as I can all night."

Filch made a noise in the back of his throat and rolled his eyes, attracting the attention of Wilkinson. "Puh-lease. She fell asleep while she was supposed to be working!"

"How can you expect a fourteen-year-old girl to stay up all night and work herself to the bone? I'm not freaking Merlin!"

"Watch your tone, Miss Potter," Wilkinson warned severely. "I do not believe that you have realized the seriousness of the infraction you made. We cannot have people like you performing the Unforgivable Curses and getting off with a few freebies, just because your father is the Head of the Auror Department at the Ministry. If you cannot realize the severity of such a crime, then it is simply plausible that you will work all night and study all day. If you wish to skip detentions, then this will be your punishment. But until I see fit that you have realized what a horrible crime you have committed, these night-long detentions shall continue. You are to meet Filch immediately after your classes are finished."

"How am I supposed to eat?" she asked incredulously.

"Mr. Filch will provide you with some sustenance."

"Like poison," she muttered under her breath.

"Excuse me, Miss Potter?"

"Nothing, Ma'am, just committing these details to memory."

The glare that Lily recieved warned her against any more mouthiness. "Get to Breakfast, and straight to class."

She breathed a sigh of relief, and shakily made her way to her feet, quick enough to snatch her wand out of Filch's hands. Her eyes were itchy with tiredness as she hurried up to Gryffindor Tower to take a shower and grab some clothes that weren't grey with dust. Stumbling down the stairs, she had enough time to run into the Great Hall to grab a plain pancake that she viciously ate as she ran down to Potions. Her mouth full of pancake, and her eyes barely open, she stumbled right into Alicia. "Good grief, Lily. You're going to kill someone!"

"Haven't I already done that? How's Scorpius? Where is he? Is he still in the Hospital Wing? Did he stay there all last night? Did Madame Pomphrey fix his arm? How does he feel? Does he want to hex me?"

"Ask him yourself, Lily," Alicia said with exasperation.

"I can't!" Lily whined. "Wilkinson and Filch are in league to have me murdered!"

"Lily, I'm sure you're only overreacting, and I have to get to class or else Corche will murder _me_. Sorry, Lils." Alicia waved and turned to run down the hall, her loose dark hair flying behind her. Lily ran the rest of the way to Potions and collapsed into her chair just as class started.

"Where have you been?" Hugo demanded, sitting in the row behind her. "No one's seen you since you ran off last night apparently."

She glared. "I forgot about detention. I guess I'm lucky I haven't been expelled yet."

"What happened?"

She put her index finger to her lips as her head drooped onto her books in front of her. "Shhhhh... Lily needs sleep..."

He rolled his eyes, and Slughorn came over and slammed his hand on Lily's table, startling her from the sleep that had already overcome her. "Hell," she muttered under her breath as the Potions teacher began his cheerful lecture on Polyjuice Potion. Lily struggled to stay awake in all of her classes, failing the most in Professor Binns's class, the only reason she wasn't competely passed out was because she was too busy worrying over Scorpius. Even when she was concentrating on her work, he still echoed in the back of her mind and came to the forefront at a moment's notice. The day passed through mostly in her dreams, and at the end of the day, she trudged down the path to the hallway. She cleaned until her palms were rubbed raw pink and she could no longer find the energy to continue. Not caring who would yell at her, she slipped to her knees right on the shiny stone floor she had just finished and relaxed on her side, her frazzled red hair forming a sort of halo around her head. Curled up on the floor, she couldn't even use the pain to keep her awake before she yawned once and slipped into much-needed sleep.

"Flower, you need to wake up." Someone lightly shook her shoulder, and she swatted them away.

"Heck, no," she mumbled.

Did she imagine the familiar light chuckle? "Flower, if you don't wake up, Filch will catch you and be furious."

Well, she said quite a few things about Filch and where he could stick his fury that would have gotten her grounded for months.

"Lily Luna," the voice said more forcefully. "Wake up right now, or else I will have to leave you here."

"Uuuggghhh," she moaned, but Lily opened her bleary eyes to see a perfectly healthy Scorpius looking down at her with a lopsided grin. Just the sight of him made her smile slightly. "What are you doing here?"

"Busting you out of detention," he answered, helping her off of the floor, careful of her hands. He looked at the half-clean room, and, with a flourish of his wand, finished the job for her. "Do you think that will get you past tonight?" She only nodded, collapsing into his arms with exhaustion. His arms wound around her waist, and she sighed into his warm chest, listening to his steady breathing.

"Scorpius, I'm sorry," she whispered into his chest, wondering if he heard her.

"And what would you be sorry for, Lily?" he asked gently, kissing her hair.

"I didn't mean to break your arm and run away."

He almost laughed, but stopped himself just in time. "Lily, don't worry about it."

She glared at him before relaxing into him.

"C'mon," he said, taking her hand and leading her out the door. "I'd better take you to Gryffindor Tower before you collapse."

"But I wanna stay with you!" she protested in a whiny voice.

He laughed. "It'll be fine, Flower. In a few days it will be Christmas break, and you will have a party to see me at."

"It's really that close?" she asked with a yawn.

He nodded and kissed her rose-colored lips softly before picking her up and carrying her back to the tower.

**Bleh! I worked on this for like a month! I'm super sorry it's late, but I already have a lot of the next chapter done (and it should be a REEAALLYY exciting chapter) and so hopefully it won't take me so long again. The next chapter is really long, and I've already written out 11 pages which isn't even the entire thing! So don't forget to review, and thanks to everyone who put this story on their alerts because I have like fifty now! :) Also, thanks for all of the support I had and people asking me to update because it means a lot to me that people like this story so much! :) Please review! ;)**


	22. Gone All Wrong

**A new chapter! I'm really sorry, but I was a bit upset after the last chapter that I only got two reviews, so that prevented me from wanting to write. But it's summer now, so hopefully I can update a bit more often. This chapter is a HUGE turning point in the story and I'm not sure how everyone will take it, but I hope you all like it :) Please remember to review!**

_Chapter 22: Gone All Wrong_

"_Mum_! I can't find my shoes!"

"Just relax, Lily. Did you look in my closet?" Ginny smiled slightly at the stressed look on Lily's face. Her children had returned for Christmas Break from Hogwarts three days ago, and she loved spending every minute with them. Christmas Eve had arrived sooner than she had anticipated, and the Potter household was in a flurry as they ran around, preparing for the Malfoys' grand ball this evening. Lily seemed the most on edge for this event and had been stressing over it all day.

Lily didn't wait to answer her mother, immediately darting into her parents' room and throwing open the door of the closet. "Hey, kiddo," her dad greeted, a little startled. He was straightening his tie in the mirror as she searched for her shoes. "You in a bit of a hurry?"

"Yeah, Dad," she answered absently. With a cheer of triumph, she spotted the pair of strappy silver heels and snatched them up, hurrying back towards her room.

She set them on the bed beside her carefully laid out green evening gown. The floor-length strapless dress flowed almost like dark green waves, with silver beaded embellishments on the front. It was backless, and she and her mother had diligently picked it out, Lily insisting on finding the perfect dress. She had recently gotten a shower and her long hair was dripping wet. She sat down at her vanity that was still decorated with childish, pink princess crowns from when she was younger. She delicately applied her make-up, emphasizing her soft pale skin and the mascara making her eyes more noticeable.

Someone knocked on the door, and she let them in, only to find Albus, who was already almost completely finished. He looked at her in her fuzzy robe with surprise. "You haven't even dressed yet?"

She rolled her eyes. "I haven't even done my hair. What do you want?"

"Well, Dad wanted me to check on you and see how close you are to being done. We have forty-five minutes before we have to leave," he informed.

"Alright," she answered. "Go tell Mum that I'm ready for her to help with my hair."

"What's the magic word?" he taunted.

She kicked at him with exasperation. "Please."

"Fine, don't kill me," he grumbled, dodging her kick before she slammed the door shut.

Only a few moments later, Ginny entered, her hair already smoothed into a simple bun with a couple of curls framing her face and a lovely dark blue dress that floated to the floor. "You look amazing, Mum," Lily complimented, awed.

She smiled softly. "Thank you, but now we're going to make you look even more gorgeous."

Ginny made Lily turn around in her seat so that she couldn't see the hairstyle until it was finished, and she curled and put pins in the hair for ages, it seemed to the impatient Lily. "All done," she finally announced proudly.

Lily turned slowly, afraid that she would ruin all the hard work her mother had just done as she eagerly looked into the mirror. Her hair was half up with everything curled, and sparkling silver pins held her hair up and in place. A few curls framed her face gently, giving a sort of elegantly casual style, if that were even possible. Ginny smiled and kissed Lily's cheek. "You are so beautiful, love."

"Thank you, Mum," Lily answered and gave Ginny a tight hug.

Harry knocked on the door and entered. "Well, don't I have the two most beautiful ladies in the world?" he joked with a smile. "Are you two going to take much longer, though? We're already almost late."

Ginny dismissed the notion with a wave of her hand. "Oh, who cares? Lily just needs to put her dress on and we'll be right down."

"Okay," Harry raised his hands, as though trying to avoid angering either of the ladies. "The boys and I are waiting downstairs when you two are ready."

He left, and Ginny quickly helped Lily step into the dress and zipped it for her. Lily carefully sat on the bed and lifted up the skirt of her dress to put on the heels and stood up, wobbling slightly. "How do I look?"

Ginny smiled, resisting the urge to actually tear up. It seemed that all of her kids were growing up so quickly and it seemed that only yesterday the little eleven-year-old Lily was scared to leave for Hogwarts. "You look like the most beautiful angel," she answered, sniffling quietly.

Lily herself was too tense to notice that her mother was about to rapidly dissolve into tears. Her hands trembled uncertainly. Her heart beat hurriedly in her chest as she examined herself critically in the mirror. She checked and double-checked that her mascara wasn't making her eyelashes clump together and that her lip-gloss hadn't smeared onto her teeth. She would have chewed her nails off, except they would have looked so trashy. Lily felt pressure, afraid that she wouldn't look special enough for Scorpius. She wanted herself to be the first thing he noticed when her family arrived. What if he didn't like the way she looked? She took a deep breath, knowing this wouldn't be easy. "I'm ready to go now, Mum."

XxXoOoXxX

Scorpius's reflection was ashen in the mirror as he struggled to tie his bowtie properly. He took a shaky breath and gave up for the umpteenth time on tying the damn thing. He was more nervous than frustrated. Lily was sure to look stunning in a dress that she had infuriatingly hinted about in her letters over the past few days, and it seemed to him that he looked gawky and slightly ridiculous in his dress robes.

"Are you ready yet, son?" Draco stood in the doorway to Scorpius's room, looking perfectly refined in his own dress robes.

"No," Scorpius grumbled. "I can't tie this. Do you think you could do it for me?"

"Of course," his father answered, crossing the room, and standing over him as he gently tied it for his son in silence. Scorpius nervously wiped his clammy palms on the material of his grey dress robes, taking another shaky breath. These actions did not go unnoticed by Draco and he asked, "Are you alright, Scorpius? You seem nervous."

"I-I am nervous," he confided, unsure if he should really be admitting this to his father, who wouldn't be afraid to murder both Scorpius and Lily if he ever found them together.

"What's bothering you?" Draco asked with softness in his voice that was rarely heard outside of his family.

"It's nothing," Scorpius answered, turning away from Draco when he had finished tying the bowtie.

"Is she very pretty?"

"What?" Scorpius looked up, startled. "How did you know?" He hadn't exactly meant to say the last part, but it slipped out and couldn't be taken back.

Draco walked over with an amused smile and sat down on the edge of his son's bed. "I know because I've acted exactly like you have, and I was so terribly nervous around your mother. She was like an angel sent to give me hell." He chuckled lightly, "I was so frustrated, yet I couldn't keep my mind off of her. So tell me, is this girl pretty?"

Scorpius sat down beside Draco. "She's…" he thought for a moment before a wide grin spread across his face just at the mere thought of his Lily. "She's beautiful, gorgeous even. She has the most beautiful smile…" He sighed, wishing that he could see Lily; the three days had been far too torturous.

Draco laughed softly, remembering feeling like that around Astoria, all the time, it seemed. "Is she smart?"

"Smart?" Scorpius repeated incredulously. "She's not smart, she's a genius. She'd be at the top of her class if she didn't have a bit of trouble with her Transfiguration class. She's wicked brilliant with pranks, too."

"Pranks?" Draco asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Scorpius smiled. "Heck, yeah. She's a little mastermind."

"Does she play Quidditch?"

"Oh, yeah," Scorpius answered readily. "She loves it, and we practice together all the time. No matter how hard I try, she always bests me."

Draco smiled brightly. "And you truly fancy this girl?"

"Of course, Father. She's everything to me."

"Then, be sure to treat her right," Draco told him. "And just between us men," he teased lightly, "Women are always right, even when they are wrong. That bit of advice will save you many times over."

Scorpius smiled, a bit more at ease. "Thanks, Father."

Draco smiled, amazed at how quickly his son had grown up while his back was turned.

OoOxXxOoO

Scorpius was starting to worry that something had happened to Lily and her family and they weren't coming. Once again, he checked his pocket for the velvet box that held Lily's Christmas present, afraid that he would check and someone would have stolen it. He desperately prayed to Merlin that she like his present, terrified that she would think it was stupid or cheesy. He should have found something more original. It was possible that he could have found something more tailored to her tastes, wasn't it? Quickly he was beginning to convince himself that it was a stupid gift and he shouldn't offer it to her.

"Where are the Potters, Mother?" he asked again, even though he knew it would irritate Astoria, who looked stunning in her golden dress that shimmered with ever move she took.

"Scorpius," she answered sharply, slightly put out with him. "I have told you a thousand times already, they must simply be running a little late. It's only been fifteen minutes!"

"What if something happened to them?" he voiced his concern uncertainly.

"Nothing happened to them, Scorpius! Now, be quiet and respectful," she chided as the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt and his wife arrived. Anyone of importance from the Ministry was coming to this ball, being one of the biggest events in a very long time. Astoria had spent months pouring over the preparations for the ball, being sure that the punch tasted exactly right and the invitations were properly written. Astoria and Draco graciously greeted all of their guests, and Scorpius stood nearby, shaking people's hands and politely answering anything they said.

This was the norm for all of the balls Scorpius had ever attended, and usually he found them monotonous and uninteresting. In anticipation of Lily's arrival, nerves kept him on edge and paying attention to ever detail. Many complimented on how handsome he looked in his dress robes and he cordially accepted the admiration, although really he was only looking forward to seeing Lily.

When she finally arrived, he felt a little lightheaded at how gorgeous she looked. Her smile lit up her face as she and her family approached his parents, but he knew it was only her polite smile, her genuine being much more radiant. "Thank you very much for inviting us, Mr. Malfoy," she told Scorpius's father gratefully as she shook his hand.

"It's my pleasure, Miss Lily," he answered with slight amusement, as though he liked someone better than he had expected.

Her cheeks turned a little pink as he addressed her so respectfully, almost as though she was an intimate friend or an equal. The greeting, however between he and Harry was much less warm and more awkward, but that could only be expected from such life-long rivals. Ginny and Astoria immediately set to chatting, having become very close friends since the past summer, discussing yet another trip to Diagon Alley for a shopping trip. James and Albus spoke quietly to each other off to the side, neither of them really having much to do at a ball.

When Lily focused her striking emerald eyes on him, his breath almost stopped. She approached him with a grin on her face, one that sent shivers up his spine. Lily, who was just as nervous, if not more, took a shaky breath of her own, eager to finally speak to him and see him after what seemed like ages. He was stunning in his grey dress robes and so handsome. Her smile brightened as she thought, _That's mine_.

"Hi," she greeted breathlessly.

"H-hey," he stuttered, something he _never_ did.

"Are you feeling well?" she asked, her tone colored with concern matching that of a mother. "You look pale." She raised a hand to feel his forehead for fever, but he pulled away and stopped her hand by taking it in his.

"I'm fine, Flower," he replied with a crooked smile. "Might I ask the most beautiful girl in the room for a dance?"

She blushed and smiled, her eyes refusing to meet his. "I suppose…. I'm afraid I might break your arm again, though."

He chuckled lightly as he pulled her towards the dance floor where older couples waltzed to the sound of the piano player's fingers doing their own dance across the keys. His arm wound around her waist and her other hand not already encased in his slid over to his shoulder. "I think it'd be worth it," he told her with a smile.

Their feet began moving to the music as Scorpius gently guided her across the dance floor with grace. "You look lovely tonight," he said after they had danced in silence for a few moments.

Lily looked up from concentrating on not treading on his toes. "Th-thank you."

Scorpius laughed. "I think James is enjoying himself."

She followed the general direction his grey eyes were looking only to find that her oldest brother was sticking some sort of pretzel stick up his nose as other familiar children that attended Hogwarts laughed and squealed in delight and disgust. "Oh, Merlin," Lily sighed and one of her hands moved to cover her face. "Why am I cursed with brothers?"

"Alicia seems to like that," Scorpius teased lightly. "I think she has a bit of a crush on Albus."

"I _know_ she has a crush on Albus," Lily said, "and I think he fancies her in return."

"And yet neither of them will do anything about it?"

Lily looked away from her brothers and up into Scorpius's eyes that were like liquid silver. "How could they? A Potter with a Slytherin? It simply isn't done."

"At least it isn't a Malfoy," he decided with a smile.

Lily giggled lightly. "Oh, yes, that would be dreadful. The scandal of the century! People would be gossiping about it for hundreds of years!" She pretended to be appalled. "How could a Potter ever dare to do such a thing?"

Scorpius chuckled and was prepared to reply, except the Head of Magical Law Enforcement interrupted their dancing in order to ask Scorpius where his father was. As the man tapped Scorpius's shoulder, the couple stopped their slow circles and slid away from each other, Lily diverting her eyes to the hem of her dress quietly. When the man had left, Lily was startled to feel Scorpius's fingers intertwine with hers. "Scorp," she muttered cautiously.

He smiled and rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Flower. I want to give you your Christmas present, in private preferably. There are too many gossips around here." His hand tugged at hers, and she willingly followed him out of the open double doors. In the corridors, the music faded into an incessant buzzing that died away as Scorpius led her with certainty through the seeming maze. The grandeur hallways had beautiful tapestries lining the walls and decorations that appeared more valuable than Lily's house itself. Her wide eyes tried to drink in every detail, admiring everything about it.

He almost pulled her out of a sort of trance as he led her into a room that reminded her of the Gryffindor common room. A couple of bookshelves lined the walls and windows let in the dim light of the moon and stars. Two couches and a fireplace with a roaring flame made the place seem cozy and warm. Lily went into the room ahead of him, eager to see the different books his family possessed. She heard the tiny snap as he shut the door behind him, and she smiled when Scorpius came and hugged her from behind, letting his chin gently rest on her shoulder. She giggled and twisted in his arms so that she was facing him. He lightly kissed her lips, as gentle as a feather. He smiled and sighed. "I missed that."

Lily tried to kiss Scorpius again, but he held her just out of reach of his lips, and he chuckled at her pouting expression. "Just wait until after I give you my present, Flower."

"Oh, alright," she said, easily giving in, rolling her eyes. "I still have to give you my present, too."

He took the velvet box out of the pocket of his robes and handed it to her. "I-I, uh, hope you like i-it…."

Lily smiled, taking the box gently from him. "Is ickle Scorpius nervous?" she teased softly. "I thought you were the one that helped me get over my stuttering problem." He smiled but said nothing in return, afraid that if he opened his mouth, he'd only make a fool out of himself.

She gently opened the box and gasped. Inside, embedded in silk material, lay a beautiful diamond necklace. The silver chain gracefully led into a tiny string of diamonds that met in the middle. Where the diamonds met, another string of diamonds fell lower an inch or two until, at the very end, was the largest diamond Lily had ever seen, resembling almost a crystal teardrop. "Merlin, Scorp. This is the most wonderful thing anyone has ever given me," she whispered, awed at the delicate beauty. "Help me put it on."

She held the necklace out to him, and he took it carefully. She timidly moved the curls of her hair away from her neck, shivering at the touch of his soft fingers. Fumbling, it took Scorpius a little long to fix the little clasp, but when she turned around to show him, the precious jewels sparkled in the light. "Thank you so much, Scorpius."

He blushed and looked down. "It's nothing, really."

"Not to me, it isn't," she said, coming closer. Involuntarily, his arms wrapped around her and she rested her head against his chest, feeling the rise and fall of his chest as he inhaled and exhaled. She felt his thumb slowly rub along her spine back and forth. Eventually, as much as she despised doing so, she pulled away from his chest. "I want to give you my gift now."

"Of course, Flower," he answered, reluctantly letting go of her.

Ginny had sewn in a small pocket on her dress that was big enough for just her wand and Scorpius's gift that was hardly noticeable. Lily pulled out a small package in wrapping paper that was blue with little snowmen and snowflakes on it. Scorpius smiled. "I-I, uh, w-wasn't really sure what t-to get you, s-sooo… I hope you like it," she finished lamely.

His smile grew. "I'm already sure I'll love it." As he took it from her, he leaned forward and kissed her cheek, making her blush lightly. He tore off the wrapping and his mouth fell open with surprise. "Lily, you didn't."

"It's probably stupid," she muttered, blushing more and looking to the floor.

"Of course it's not!" he exclaimed. "I just can't believe that you'd give me your good luck charm!" He pulled out the broken snitch in amazement as it slowly fluttered to life, its broken wing feebly fluttering. "Thank you."

She bit her bottom lip, still uncertain. She sighed, brushing a curl out of her eyes and sat on the couch. "You like it?"

"I love it, Flower," he told her truthfully, sitting down beside her. She rested her head on his arm, and in response he enveloped her in his arms.

Next thing Lily was aware of was the buzz of electricity in her veins as their lips met. Her world was suddenly spinning crazily with only him in focus as her arms weaved around his neck, and her fingers tangled in his recently-cut blonde hair. His hands on her waist sent tiny twinges of electricity to her head, and, not for the first time, she felt lightheaded. She couldn't remember how to breathe before his lips moved down to her jaw and from there to her neck. She felt one of the couch's pillows beneath her head, and Scorpius as he pressed so close to her. She didn't mean to, but her breath was loud and rasping. Unable to bear the torture any longer, Lily brought his lips to hers again, and Scorpius gained eager access to her mouth and his tongue swirled around hers. They fell deep, deep down into that world where only they existed, and their hearts beat quickly in rhythm together, both breathing unevenly. His jacket was suddenly coming off, beneath the power of her fast-moving fingers, and the buttons of his shirt were the next to be undone. Her fingers ran across the silky feeling of his velvety skin under her sensitive nerves. His hands were not still, either, and moved up her leg, past the edge of her skirt, higher and higher up her leg until it was well past her knee.

"_WHAT THE _[insert curse word here]!"

The words that echoed from Harry's mouth were ones that her parents used to wash her mouth out with soap for saying. Her emerald eyes flickered open immediately, and she internally groaned when she saw not only her father, but Scorpius's as well. She didn't think she had ever seen two people more livid in the whole world. Ever. Mr. Malfoy pulled Scorpius off of Lily roughly, and she stifled a scream. Harry hauled her off of the couch, and she struggled to straighten her dress which had been twisted around her legs. Her curls were mussed beyond repair, and Scorpius's hair was just as everywhere as hers was.

"How dare you!" Lily was taken aback that Mr. Malfoy wasn't bellowing at her, but at her father. "I invite you into my home, and you and your family as the _audacity _to _desecrate_ it!"

"The only thing I saw being desecrated was my _daughter!_" Do you train your son to rape innocent girls?"

"Dad!" Lily exclaimed, shocked that he would make such an accusation.

Both men ignored her. "Rape? How could he _rape_ her if she was _seducing_ him?"

"Father, stop!" Scorpius had his hands on Mr. Malfoy's arm, but both grown men had pulled their wands out.

"Say one more defamatory thing about my daughter," Harry snarled. "I dare you." He used his deadly 'no nonsense' tone. She, nor her brothers, _ever_ argued with that tone.

"Bitch."

"_Dad, no!_" Lily screamed, and grabbed hold of his wand, sending the curse haywire. The black streak of magic shot across the room where it obliterated a vase, shattering it into millions of pieces.

"Lily!" Scorpius let go of Mr. Malfoy and ran over to her, grabbing her and holding her tight in his arms. "Don't ever do anything that stupid again. That could have killed you."

She sobbed in to his chest, hating the yelling that she heard beyond their tiny bubble. "Don't leave me, Scorpius," she blubbered, feeling stupid, but he didn't laugh, only trying to calm her.

Hands grabbed her, and she screamed. Her fingers tried to find purchase to stay close to her not-so-secret boyfriend, but her nails only drew blood from his chest. She kicked and thrashed against the arms that easily overpowered her. Her dad dragged her out of the room as she tried to throw in as many punches as possible. "Let _go_ of me! Stop! Stop!"

Not caring how it would destroy the reputation of the Potter family, Harry dragged Lily, who was a disheveled mess, right into the ballroom where everyone stared with huge eyes and gossiped with whispering voices. Lily broke away from harry at last when her mother was in sight and collapsed into Ginny's gentle arms.

"Harry, what's going on here?" Ginny asked him, her hand reflexively stroking Lily's hair.

"_I HATE YOU!_" Lily Tore herself from her mother's arms and screamed so loudly that the music that had been trying to smooth over the scene cut off abruptly, and her brothers stood nearby with their mouths gaping open.

Harry, to her disappointment, didn't retort. He only calmly said, "Ginny, take her home. I'll get the boys."

The pull constricted Lily's lungs even more than they already were. They Apparated to their home with a pop like a firecracker, and Lily tore herself away and ran inside the house, pausing only to fumble with her shoes and throw them off. She stormed up the stairs to her bedroom where she slammed the door and locked it before she collapsed on her bed, sobbing. It wasn't hard to determine the _pop_ that signified the return of her father. Lily could barely hear him stomping up the stairs, and the noise gradually grew louder, echoing above her rasping breaths.

Harry twisted her doorknob, only to discover that it would not give, and he banged on the door with his fist. "Lily Luna Potter, open this damn door _right now!_"

"No!" she yelled fiercely at him, "Go away!"

"I'm not afraid to blast this door down!"

"_GO AWAY!" _she screamed, her voice cracking with strain, and the tears ruined her make-up.

"So help me-!"

"Harry!" Ginny intercepted, her voice muffled by the door. "You don't have to blow the house down. _Alohomora._"

Lily flinched as the door unlocked itself. Harry entered, his face turning a shade of red that would surprise even Uncle Ron. Ginny and the boys peered in to Lily's room, hesitating by the door with concern and curiosity. Of course the boys would want front seats if their dad was going on a killing spree for Lily.

"How dare you go behind my back like this!"

"I went behind your back because I knew you would react like _this_!" She threw her arms up in the air, gesturing wildly, the flow of tears staunched in the heat of her battle.

"And with a _Malfoy_, no less!" He yelled like she did, throwing his arms up in the air with exasperation.

"What?" three other voices added their confusion, only to be ignored.

"Just because he's a Malfoy, it doesn't mean that he's a horrible person!"

"His family is made of Death Eaters!"

"So? There's no Voldemort anymore, and he's not a Death Eater!"

"You don't know that!"

"Yes, I do! His family is kind!"

"His own father called you a—"

"I know what he called me! And I know for a _fact_ that you'll call Scorpius a whole lot worse! If you would put your petty, childhood fights aside for just a few minutes, you'd see that Scorpius is very kind and good!"

"'Childhood fights'?" Harry asked incredulously. "Draco Malfoy was a Death Eater and attempted to murder Headmaster Dumbledore! Your precious 'boyfriend's' grandfather almost had your Mum _killed_ when she was eleven!"

"So his family has a past! All families do! You never judged Sirius Black by _his_ family! No, you named your first-born _son_ after him!"

"Hey!" James exclaimed, uncertain to whether he should take that offensively or as a compliment.

"Sirius was a good man!" Harry bellowed, pointing a finger in her face. "He was different from his family!"

"So is Scorpius!" she insisted.

"His great-aunt killed Sirius!"

"And his grandmother saved us all!" Lily retaliated instantly. "If Narcissa Malfoy hadn't lied to Voldemort about your death, we'd all be enslaved, and you would truly be cold and dead, six feet in the ground!"

"I won't allow this abomination!"

"Daddy, I love him!"

Everything in the room went still. Even as she said it, she knew with certainty that it was true and she'd only been ignoring it. Her dad's face turned a lighter shade of red, and she didn't know if she should take that as a sign of hope or not. Ginny's face was ashen, the freckles standing out on her skin, and James and Albus seemed too flabbergasted to even respond.

"No," Harry broke the silence with his deep baritone that shook Lily to the bone. "As long as you live in my house, you will obey my rules!" The volume of his voice grew until he was shouting again. "And my rule is that you are _never_ allowed to be around Scorpius Malfoy again!"

"And what makes you think I'll just do whatever you say without the slightest fight?" Lily realized that she was standing on her bed, towering over her dad, with no recollection of when she stood up. Her nails were digging into the palms of her hands so deeply that blood from the cuts had dropped onto her bed sheets.

"You're forbidden to ever talk to Scorpius ever again!" he thundered.

She jumped agilely off of her bed, landing on the balls of her feet. "Fine!" she screamed back. "If that's the rules in your house, then I'll just leave!"

"If you leave, you sure as hell aren't coming back!"

"Harry!" Ginny cried, alarmed.

Lily stomped over to her massive trunk that was mostly packed and slammed it shut, fastening the locks on it. She heaved it up with both of her hands and dragged it towards the doorway, pushing past the rest of her family. "Good riddance!" she shrieked at her father. "_I HATE YOU!_"

The family was too stunned to try and stop her as she lugged the heavy thing down the stairs, wishing she could use magic to levitate it. Her resolve never wavered as she slammed the door shut to the first home she had ever known so hard that the window panes shivered at the force. She was almost halfway down the road when she heard her mother calling for her. Lily's dark red hair blew in her face from the harsh wind that had picked up, and she wondered for a moment just how disheveled she looked.

She fished her wand out of her dress's pocket, shivering as light snow began to fall from the heavens. Her toes were frozen to the point of numbness as she sluggishly realized that she had forgotten her shoes in her haste. Lily held the wand out over the road, but was still startled when the Knight Bus nearly ran her over. Her mum called her name again, louder than the last time, but Lily stared with a steely resolve as a teenage boy, hardly eighteen stepped from the bus.

"Good evenin', my name is Alfred Cattermole." He read from a stack of note cards and let the first one flutter carelessly to the ground. "I will be your conductor tonight. Please state your name, business, an' where you would like the Knight Bus to take you." He let the other one flutter to the ground as well as he straightened his faded conductor's hat and looked up, only to have to look down at Lily who wasn't quite sure that this had been such a brilliant idea after all. "Well, hello!" he said with actual enthusiasm and a toothy grin. "Ain't you a bit you to be off on your own?"

Lily didn't smile, unsure if she even could. "I'm sure you've had younger before."

Alfred seemed a little startled by her chilling demeanor, but he fixed his hat again and mumbled, "Yeah, yeah, well, er, I'ma need your name and stuff."

"Lily Isabella Evans," she answered without hesitation.

"Oooh," he mocked quietly to himself, "she's got a _middle_ name!" He scribbled it down on his clipboard and muttered, "Occupation?"

"Students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Alfred muttered to himself about overachievers. "Destination?"

"Uh—um…" she hesitated, not really having thought past this part in her plan. "How about I give you five galleons, and I'll tell you where I want to go by the end of the night."

"Oooh, not just an overachiever, but a _rich_ overachiever! Merlin, lady, what're you tryin' to get away from?"

"Parents," she muttered and fished out the galleons from her trunk. She had saved most of her money from the past three years for emergencies, such as if none of her cousins would lend her money… or apparently if she needed to run away.

Alfred looked at the coins carefully, double-checking that they weren't counterfeit. "Alright, then," he conceded. He picked up her trunk and staggered to bring it on board the Knight Bus. Lily sat near the back, a little terrified of the bus driver that looked more dead than alive. "'Kay, Ernie!" Alfred shouted to the driver. "Let 'er rip!" The bus shot away, sending everything lurching.

The bed that Lily sat on slid across the bus, bumping into the other beds, and she marveled at how anyone could sleep during this nauseating ruckus. She clung to the bars of the bed for dear life as the Knight Bus rocketed past unaware cars and buses on the road. Alfred Cattermole walked casually through the rocking chaos and stumbled occasionally. He stumbled and collapsed on an empty bed next to hers, and handed her something. "I forgot to give you this. Ya might need it."

She took the brown paper bag from his hand and felt very grateful. "Thanks," she muttered.

"I gotta say, Miss Evans, ya look like you've been through quite the horrible night," he commented.

She blushed, grasping just how out of place she looked in a wrinkled ball gown and tangles of curls, along with her blotchy and red face and ruined make-up. "Yeah, I've had one hell of a night."

"Did your boyfriend break up with ya or somethin'?"

Lily didn't appreciate the question, and she wasn't quite certain whether he was being genuinely concerned, or just looking for a pretty date. His face, although he appeared not to have shaved in a while, gave the impression of innocence, as open as a child's. She sighed, tear threatening to crash over her and drown her. "No, my father's furious because I was dating his enemy's son behind his back. It spiraled totally out of control, and I just left." She struggled to hold back fresh tears.

"Ah," he sighed.

"Um," Lily shifted uncomfortably, disliking the tone this conversation had taken. "Wh-what brought you here—to the Knight Bus?"

"Well, my parents died a few years back," he said with a slight frown. "I dropped outta Hogwarts when I was hardly thirteen, and Ernie took me in ever since. My sister, Maisie, was furious."

"I'm terribly sorry," she said, stunned at the information.

He looked at her incredulously, with wide hazel eyes. "Are you kidding me? This was the best thing I ever did! It was like I was made to be the Knight Bus conductor." He chuckled a little.

Lily smiled slightly, her muscles resisting the happy motion. Suddenly the bus lurched to a stop and Lily flew forward off her bed, thudding on the floor. Fortunately, her Quidditch reflexes kicked in, and she rolled to one side before a bed with an obese, sleeping man skidded to a halt, right where she had been moments before. "Ow," she groaned, picking herself up off the floor.

"Edinborough, Scotland!" Alfred shouted from his seat in the back. "Mrs. Leroy, this is your destination!"

Alfred weaved through the clogging of beds and pulled down the appropriate trunk and heaved it out for the elderly woman. Lily pulled herself up from the floor and settled onto her bed, pain rippling through her body. She was going to be sore tomorrow.

The Knight Bus shot off again, and she clung to the bars with a death grip, almost as tightly as she had clutched Scorpius at Malfoy Manor. The thought stung the fresh wound that had so recently blasted her open, and her eyes burned with the sensation of fresh tears. She couldn't help it as she suddenly began to sob, gasping for air, and Alfred had the good sense to let her cry in peace.

How could she have let this happen? Everything had been so perfect, she loved being around Scorpius, but now everything was ruined. Her fingers brushed the diamond necklace hanging from around her neck, and she sobbed again. Her entire world had been shattered to pieces in the time span of only a few minutes. When the secret had come to the surface, their families literally went to blows. Her own father had forced her to choose between her family and her love, but no matter how many times she was forced to choose, she would never regret her decision. A thousand times over she would always choose Scorpius. That didn't mean that a thousand times over she would never feel the renewed pain of losing her family, her brothers and her mum. Her dad had once told her that sometimes the only decisions to make were between bad and worse and that she should always choose what was best for her. He was probably regretting ever telling her that now.

Lily cried until she had no more tears left to cry. The pillow beneath her head was soaked with the salty taste of her own tears. Slowly, her sobs began to subside and her dry, irritated eyes couldn't stay open. She let them close, blotting out the world and regulated her breathing, trying to still her hiccups. Her breathing slowed, and her muscles relaxed.

In her dream, Lily and Scorpius were in the ballroom at Malfoy Manor, spinning and twirling in circles. Scorpius said something that she couldn't quite remember, but it made her laugh, feeling more carefree than she had, it seemed, in forever.

"This is for you," he said although she couldn't quite hear his voice. He opened his hand, and in his palm was the diamond necklace. The glittering teardrop diamond sparkled in the lights from the chandelier.

But the necklace morphed into a snake, the teardrop forming the head and the silver chain forming a scaly skin. Lily screamed, having been reaching out for it. The snake tried to attack her hand and she snapped it back towards her body. Scorpius seemed to be growing in fast-forward, skipping nearly twenty-five years in the span of a few minutes and turned into Draco Malfoy. They were still dancing somehow, and as they spun, Mr. Malfoy leaned over and whispered vile things in her ear, things she hadn't even known that she'd heard before. His breath had the horrid, distinct smell of chocolate, and Lily gagged, stepping out of reach of the man. A horrible sneer twisted his once-handsome features, and he dived for her.

Lily knew immediately that he would try to hurt her, and she ran into the corridors, knowing that if she could find the room where she and Scorpius had escaped to, she would find Scorpius. But the entire manor was a gigantic maze, and she was so desperately lost. Tears streamed down her face, and she called for Scorpius several times. Eventually she came to a crossroads and didn't know which way to turn. Mr. Malfoy, she could hear, was not very far behind her. A figure appeared to her right.

Bright emerald eyes behind glasses and a lightning bolt scar made her back away a step. "Lily, I know what's best for you."

"No, you don't." Fighting tears, she raced down the empty hallway, in the opposite direction of Harry. She called for Scorpius, but he wouldn't answer her as panic began to settle in. Mr. Malfoy caught up with her, then, pinning her up against the wall. "Please, please, no!" she begged, knowing he would hurt her.

"Poor Lily," he said, except his voice sounded exactly like Mortellea's.

"Miss, miss, Miss Evans."

The voice startled her out of her troubled nightmare so suddenly that she sat up, only to crack her head on something or someone who stumbled backwards, yelping and holding his forehead. "Ow!" Lily exclaimed as nausea from the sudden headache made her sway back onto her pillow.

Alfred seemed put up with this hormonal girl. "We were wonderin' if you knew where you wanna go."

"Umm…" Who would take her in? "Grimmauld Place, please." Alfred nodded, stumbling away to tell Ernie, leaving her to wonder if they would accept her or ship her home.

It was so hard to lug her trunk down the street in a tattered ball gown and her sneakers. She tried to avoid the freezing puddles and went as fast as she could, although with the dead weight behind her, it wasn't much faster than normal.

When Lily reached the top of the steps and faced the door with the number twelve painted on, panic set in and she began hyperventilating. What if they wouldn't take her in? Before she could lose all of her courage, she knocked on the door.

Behind the door was a man and a woman in robes with sleepy but cautious expressions. The man held his wand in his hand, and even with bed-head, the woman had looks to die for. Lily shivered in the cold, wishing she had though to get a coat out of the trunk as well as her sneakers. Her voice was timid, scared, and worst of all vulnerable.

"Teddy?"

**And this is where you attempt to strangle me for the cliff-hanger. Sorry for any typos, it's really late when I'm finishing this. Anyways, More reviews=happy writer. Happy writer=sooner chapters! PLEASE REVIEW! I wish I could give all my readers a cookie for waiting this long for an update. Also, I would LOVE your opinion on this chapter! PLEASE?**HoHjjdhjfhrh0weifjeiofrceh


	23. Changes and Possible Mistakes

**I love all of you so much! I asked for reviews and they shot from 88 to 100 practically overnight! For that, I'm going to try to reward you, and I think I might have a sort of idea. I was thinking that I'd write a new chapter to a new Lily/Scorpius fanfic every time I get fifty more reviews. Please review this chapter, and tell me what you would think of that. I actually came up with the idea for this fanfic after I watched the last Harry Potter movie (so upsetting that they're over now), and let me know if you'd like that idea. Thanks for the perspectives that you all gave in your reviews because it really aided me in writing this chapter.**

**Also, I'm terribly sorry that I didn't answer to any of your reviews, seeing as there were so many, I really didn't have time to get to them all, but I definitely read them and appreciated every single one of them. 3**

**Another thing (I'm sorry if I'm ranting a lot), this story is now over a year old! I'm so proud that I've managed to continue it, and I can personally tell that my writing has gotten better since last year. I wanted to update on the one-year anniversary, but I was at camp at the time and didn't really have the chance. :P So thank you all for your support through the last year!**

Chapter 23: Changes and Possible Mistakes

Harry absent-mindedly traced his lightning bolt scar as he stared at his sleeping wife, curled on the sofa with almost a dazed expression in his emerald eyes. His eyes were bloodshot and dry from no sleep. As soon as Lily had left, Ginny had turned upon Harry with her motherly instincts wrathfully attacking him for losing her precious daughter. She had screamed at him to go find her Lily and apologize and drag her home by her hair if he was forced. He had yelled right back at her, sending the boys scampering up to their rooms. He and Ginny had never, ever fought so valiantly against each other in their entire lives, and Harry couldn't even remember a time when he had been more furious.

It was now the wee hours of the morning, and Ginny had fallen asleep while they waited up for Lily to return. As they waited, the anger and passion slowly began to recede from his veins, and he now saw that all of them had been acting foolishly. He didn't regret his decision of forbidding her to see Scorpius, and he was going to stand by that rule when she came home. But perhaps he had been harsh when screaming at her, and although Draco was just as much at fault, he should never have allowed himself to lose his temper like that. Harry sighed, exhaustion making him feel weak and forcing his eyelids to close without his consent. He slowly stood up, and half-stumbled over to Ginny, trying to get his bearings. He then picked Ginny up gently in his arms and carried her upstairs to their room, laying her on her bed as though she was a princess, reminding him of when he carried Lily to her room as a child.

Ginny rolled over and blearily opened her eyes. "Lily?" she murmured groggily.

"Shh, love," Harry whispered softly, kissing her forehead after moving her stray strands of ginger hair from her face. "Lily will come home soon, I know it."

"Mkay," she muttered before falling down into the depths of her dreams.

Harry went to his side of the bed and climbed in, quickly letting sleep overtake him. Lily would come home, and f she didn't, he would find her and bring her home himself.

OoOxXxOoO

Mr. Shacklebolt was still at the Ministry at three in the morning due to a mix up with the Minister of France. There was a gigantic stack of papers from the French Minister concerning Domestic trade and other things that simply the mention of set his head to aching. His hand was cramped from signing dozens of papers, and he was going hoarse from reciting to the enchanted quill just what policies he was offering the French Minister in return. His eyesight had become blurry from struggling to stay awake so long, and he sighed, wishing he couldn't simply wait until morning to finish this, but the other minister was expecting an answer by tomorrow. His head fell into his hands as he rested for a moment, unable to continue the work just yet. "Jeanette," he called to his secretary, the only other one still here, who was just outside his office.

"Yes, sir?" asked the woman who walked in with a bittersweet voice. Her raven hair fell far past her shoulders, and her charcoal-colored eyes had a steely look in them that ensnared anyone who looked. Her skin was extremely pale, and contrasted with her cherry-red lips that stretched into a light smile.

Kingsley looked at her in confusion. "You aren't Jeanette. What happened to my secretary?" Deep in the recesses of him mind, something warned him that all was not right here, but his stupor made it hard to concentrate.

The strange woman walked towards him, her high heels making a clicking sound on the hardwood. She stopped when she was almost leaning over his desk, her raven hair spilling like a waterfall over her shoulders. "I am Jeanette; you simply must be tired tonight Mr. Shacklebolt."

A dazed look came into his dark eyes. "Yes," he agreed vacantly. "I simply must be tired."

"Here," she said in a voice that was almost too kind to be real. She came around his desk and helped him out of his chair. "You shouldn't have stayed so long. Why don't you go home to your wife, and I'll let the French minister know that you'll be a bit delayed."

He nodded his head, too dazed to respond to anything else. Jeanette lead him to the fireplace where she threw some Floo powder, shouted the address, and helped him step into the green flames. When he disappeared, her bright lips stretched int a smile, showing her perfect, square teeth.

Jeanette walked over to the desk and sat down in the minister's recently-vacated chair. She picked up a quill and chewed on the end for a moment as she thought before she smiled and began writing something on a blank sheet of parchment, almost giggling as she did so. "Sorry to cut your reign short a bit, Kingsley," the imposter muttered to no one but herself.

XxXoOoXxX

"Lily, you're welcome to spend as much time here as you need, but won't your parents be worried sick over you?" Teddy asked the redhead with concern.

"If my dad had been worried about me, he never would have let me leave," Lily retaliated with a dull fire, her face still stained by old tears. Victoire had already gone to bed after hearing Lily's story, but Teddy stayed up with her, showing her to her room and moving her trunk in there. The clock in the hallway chimed three in the morning and it must have been an hour ago that she showed up at Teddy's doorstep.

Teddy sighed and shook his head. "I'm going to send an owl to your father before I go back to bed. I'm sure your family's worried, Lils."

"Whatever you say, Ted," she mumbled sleepily. Teddy yawned, which resulted in her yawning as well.

"Alright, kiddo, just get some rest and we'll sort through everything in the morning, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed sleepily, and collapsed into the guest bed which was in Sirius Black's old room. Her skirts from the ball gown she was still clad in swished as she curled up under the covers and pulled the blankets up to her chin.

Teddy leaned over and kissed her hair like an older brother, and he left, shutting the door behind him, engulfing Lily in pure darkness.

She was dimly asleep, but murmuring invaded her mind and kept her on the brink of consciousness. Irritated after all she'd been through tonight, her emerald eyes flashed open to see a figure dart through the darkness. "Who are you?" she asked boldly and loudly, too tired to be cautious.

A boy's childish giggle echoed in her ear but would not respond. It wouldn't surprise her if Grimmauld Place was haunted, but she doubted that this little boy would be Sirius, or even belonging in his room. Whoever the little ghost was, he became silent, and she found it easy to slip into a deep rest….

OoOxXxOoO

"_It's been quite a while, hasn't it, Lily?" the venomous voice like honey resounded in her ears._

_Lily's subconscious was immediately alert. Her eyes scrutinized Mortellea, who towed above her like a force of nature. "It has," she responded in the most grown-up tome she could manage. She crossed her arms over her chest and tried to give Mortellea a fearless glare. In truth, she was terrified, her heart pounding as though she were running a marathon. She tried to breathe calmly, not giving this vile woman anything to use against her. Although she was mortified with fear, her mind still functioned enough to let the images of the dead muggle family slowly float to the surface, and the memories gave her enough fury to fuel the power she needed._

_That creepy smile once again stretched across Mortellea's lips, a smile that made even the strongest whimper in their nightmares. Lily bit her lip to keep it from trembling in fear. "Are you afraid, child?" Although she addressed Lily as a 'child,' she spoke to her, as though Lily was an equal to her._

"_Only a fool wouldn't be afraid of the woman who brings death in the cruelest manner possible," the fourteen-year-old answered truthfully._

_Her smile widened. "Then you are very wise." She paused, her fingers tracing her wand slowly. "So, Lily, do you know where we are?"_

_Lily spun in a circle, but a gray-white mist clouded wherever they were. "I haven't the faintest idea."_

"_Look closely," Mortellea admonished, laying a hand on Lily's shoulder to guide her to see. The girl tried not to shudder at the touch that felt like cool ice through the sleeve of her shirt. Slowly, the white mist began to take form and darkened, until it was a large room enclosed in darkness; the only light was tiny beams of moonlight that streaked through someone's curtains. Lily squinted, and could make out a still form lying on the bed._

_Lily was terrified, unsure of whether this figure was dead, on its dying breath, or still sleeping. Curiosity reigned dominantly, perhaps it had something to do with her Gryffindor courage, but she boldly stepped forward to discover why she had been brought here, asking Merlin silently that she wouldn't have to witness this murder._

"_Oh, Merlin," Lily gasped, tears welling in her eyes. "Th-that's Alicia!" _

_Her friend breathed peacefully, certainly unaware that the cruelest witch of the wizarding world and her close friend stood side by side, towering over her bed and her sleeping form. Her dark hair was splayed across the pillow, and as she slept, she smiled, as though having a good dream. "Albus," she whispered in her sleep._

_Lily was horrified beyond belief, involuntarily stepping away from the bed, knowing that the room would soon be a host for the dead. "No," she breathed, her hot breath floating out of her lungs with a whoosh._

_Mortellea just smiled wider and pulled out her wand with her right hand and a knife with her left. Lily swiftly moved between them, determined that this woman would not touch her friend. She felt her clothes for her wand, realizing that she was defenseless, but she remembered suddenly that she had laid her wand down on the bedside table. Mortellea had a cruel advantage. Lily couldn't think of a proper defense, so she lunged at Mortellea, deciding that offense was the best distraction, stupidly forgetting about the knife._

_Mortellea was unprepared for such a move, and she was caught off guard at first, giving Lily the opportunity to wrap her fingers around the woman's slim neck. The wand clattered to the floor; Mortellea struggled against Lily, her fingernails raking across Lily's face. The burning sensation made Lily falter, but she squeezed her fingers against Mortellea's neck with all of her strength. Mortellea struggled to breathe and Lily cried out quietly in sudden pain, her fingers releasing their grip. Her leg gave out, and she gasped with pain, seeing the slash mark across her right thigh from the silver-bladed knife. She fell to her knees, and Mortellea took the time to retrieve her wand and stride across the room to the still-sleeping girl. She almost gently touched the wand to Alicia's forehead, and tendrils of silver splayed over her head like a spider web, until it almost completely encased her head. Alicia's sleeping bliss immediately morphed into nightmares and pain._

_Lily struggled to her feet, ignoring the pain and the blood. Mortellea paid no heed to her as she kept murmuring her spells, weaving Alicia's worst nightmare. Lily scoured the dark room with her eyes, and noticed a letter-opener lying on Alicia's desk. She gripped the bejeweled hilt of the dull object as a terrible screech echoed in the room emanating from Alicia. Lily swallowed nervously, feeling nauseous before she dived towards Mortellea again; she drove the letter-opener into Mortellea's side, using her surprising power to sink it into the pliable flesh._

_Mortellea's scream was the second to pierce the deadly silence of night. From outside Alicia's door, Lily could see lights flickering on and her urgent voices. Alicia's eyes flashed open, but it was obvious that this was a nightmare she would never wake from. She started crying and screaming loudly; each scream was another wound to Lily. Mortellea stumbled to the side, clutching her wound as bright blood spilled to the floor._

"_You're just as human as the rest of us," Lily hissed with a raspy voice, cutting through the air._

_The doorknob jiggled as someone tried to open the door, and someone banged loudly on it, calling frantically to Alicia. Alicia writhed on her bed, struggling to breathe. She was obviously trying to get rid of the thick web of magic around her face, but she only succeeded in clawing herself so violently that she began to bleed. Tears overflowed from Lily's eyes as she scrambled to Alicia. "Please, Alicia," she pleaded with the unhearing friend, "please, wake up." Alicia only shuddered violently, as though having a seizure, screaming incomprehensively._

_Lily's shriek joined Alicia's as pain seared across her back. She felt as Mortellea dragged her knife across her skin, sending it into burning pain, much sharper that her leg. She arched her back, trying to escape the pain, only to have Mortellea grip her hair and pull her to her feet painfully. "I'll teach you to mess with me," she hissed._

_Her hand released Lily's hair but instead grasped her wrist, almost crushing it with the force. Lily tried to struggle away, but the quick loss of blood was making her weak too quickly. The rune-resembling scars glimmered weakly in the dim light, seeming almost luminescent. The moonlight reflected off of Mortellea's knife just for a moment as she slowly touched the sharp edge to Lily's scar. Mortellea traced the scar with the tip of her knife, a sadistic smile flashing her teeth brightly. The pain was worse than any she had ever experienced, and the pitch of her scream raised so high that Alicia's window cracked. Mortellea's shrill laugh was drowned by Alicia's screams._

Lily's eyes flashed open, and she screamed, gasping for breath.

"Dear sweet Merlin!" Teddy and Victoire rushed into her room. She arched off of the bed, trying to relieve her back of the pain as her blood began to soak the white sheets.

XxXoOoXxX

So the knife was cursed.

That would be a pointer that Lily would have to remember next time.

Her wounds wouldn't heal with magic, so she'd been wrapped up in white gauze that had to be changed regularly. It was uncomfortable to sit still, and she was too weak to stand. Healers came multiple times during the day and gave her potions that made her drowsy and slow but eased the pain and discomfort a bit. Teddy and Victoire were always with her, talking to her. Even Teddy couldn't pry the story out of her of how she gained cursed wounds. They left her be, simply bringing her books to read or something to do, such as Exploding Snap.

From Lily's window, she could see as massive amounts of _Daily Prophet_ and other newspaper reporters swarmed the entrance, trying to get in, only to be denied by security. Teddy noticed her watching the commotion and commented, "They all want to get in to see you and the Baddock girl."

"Alicia?" Lily questioned, not really surprised that she would be brought to St. Mungo's as well.

"Yeah," he informed, unaware that she probably knew some of this information. "She was attacked last night, when you… well, whatever happened to you. The Auror Department thinks that it was rogue Death Eaters. They're starting to cause quite a lot of havoc. Anyway, she was tortured, and the Healers are unsure if she'll ever be quite healthy again."

Lily swallowed, the images of the night before flashing through her mind. That sort of damage would be nearly impossible to recover from. "She's lucky she's alive," Lily whispered.

Teddy frowned. "I'm not so sure that's true, Lils."

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to cry in front of Teddy, although she had done it plenty of times before. She sniffled and wiped her nose with a tissue. He directed his attention to the window, pretending not to notice her sorrow. A Healer came in, interrupting the quiet. "Miss Potter, your family is here to see you."

Her eyes widened and despite the recent dose of painkillers, she was alert. "What? No! Don't let them in!"

The Healer seemed very startled. "You don't want to see them?"

"Absolutely not," she said adamantly.

Teddy hesitantly muttered, "Lily, they're your family."

She was almost tempted to say, 'no, they're not," the words were on the tip of her tongue. But she shook her head and replied, "I don't want to see the Potters, or the Weasleys."

"Lily…" Teddy chided without words.

She felt guilty, but remained firm."I don't want to see them."The Healer fidgeted nervously and left to tell her huge family the news.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T SEE MY DAUGHTER?"

"That would be your mum," Teddy muttered under his breath.

"I know who it is, Teddy," Lily snapped irritably. "If you don't like it, then you don't have to be on my side. But if you're going to side with _them,_" she jabbed her thumb towards the door, "then you can get out."

"Don't get mad at me, too," he admonished her, like the older brother he was. "Unless you're careful, you'll end up with no one willing to help you."

"I'm sorry," she said in a softer voice.

He moved towards her and kissed her forehead. "It's alright, kiddo."

"Sir, I don't think you should…" They listened as the Healer weakly trailed off, and Harry stormed into the room, his eyes alight with anger and worry.

"What the heck happened?" he shouted, mainly at Lily.

"I don't believe you have any right to ask me anything!" Lily shrilly yelled.

"You're my _daughter_! I have every right!"

"So you can still boss me around even though I don't live under 'your roof' anymore?"

He flinched. "That's one night!"

"I believe that my decision was a little more permanent!"

"You're going to sacrifice all of us for a boy that probably doesn't even love you back?" he asked in incredulous disbelief.

"I know he does!" she shrieked. "I know it!"

"That Alicia girl? Draco Malfoy probably aided in her destruction!"

"You have no proof!" Lily purely screamed, unable to contain herself. "You have _no_ idea what sort of things happened in that room last night!"

"And you do?" he thundered.

"Yeah!" she yelled defiantly. "And none of that is true!"

"How do you know?"

"I was there!" she screamed furiously.

The fight suddenly left Harry. "Maybe you're already one of them. Lily Luna Potter, you are under arrest for attacking Alicia Baddock."

"What?" she whispered almost incredulously.

"You just admitted to being present when Alicia was attacked."

Teddy stood up, running a hand through his aqua-colored hair. "This-that's ridiculous!"

"Do you see any other choice?" Harry asked him somberly.

"What are you going to do?" she asked with subdued wrath. "Give me the choice between being locked up in Azkaban or locked up in your house?"

"I'm done here," Harry said. The expression on his face was hard to decipher, but Lily could make out remorse covered beneath a mask. He strolled out of the room.

She threw the covers off of her and stumbled out of her bed. She heard Teddy protesting, but she ignored him, limping to the open door. "Get the hell out of here!" she shrieked down the hall at his retreating figure. "I hate you! I don't want to see you or anyone else in my room! Get _out!_" Lily screamed so loudly that every eye was attracted to her. Even Harry turned around, and she fuzzily realized that tears were streaking down his face.

She felt woozy and nauseous, and sluggishly thought to herself that getting out of that bed was one of the stupidest things she had ever done. Her knees gave out, and she quickly collided with the floor before her world went dark.

OoOxXxOoO

"I've never seen anyone do something so stupid," a woman's voice murmured.

"I don't think it was the girl. I mean, how could Harry Potter arrest his own daughter?" A second voice replied quietly, "I'd be upset if I were her, too."

"It's obvious that they share their temper. I feel bad for all the press they'll get. Imagine fighting with your own family and then having the press questioning your every move."

"It's a shame, that's for sure."

The voices faded as Lily slowly awoke, groggily trying to remember if the voices were a dream or not.

"Hey, kiddo," Victoire's gentle voice echoed slightly in Lily's head. She opened her eyes to see cherubic Victoire leaning over her in concern. "How do you feel?"

Lily groaned, assessing all of her damage. "What happened?"

"You were fighting with your dad," Victoire explained calmly, gently pushing pieces of auburn hair out of Lily's eyes. "You got out of your bed and got really overworked and lost consciousness. You hit your head when you fell, and the Healers had to give you some more potions."

Lily sighed. "Where's Teddy?"

Victoire shifted uncomfortably. "He went to talk with your father; he's very upset about what happened."

"Oh," Lily murmured.

"Hey, Lils," she asked in a soothing voice. "The Healers need to know who's allowed in and who's not. Do you want me to tell them that only Teddy and I should be allowed in?"

"And Scorpius," Lily mumbled, already starting to drift back to sleep. "I want to see Scorpius when he comes."

"Of course, Sweetie," Victoire said, and then she kissed Lily's forehead. "Sleep now."

Scorpius never came.

**Bum Bum BUUUUMMM! So let me know about your opinions on the story, please in a review! I was trying to make Harry a bit more like he was in the series, but I'm not really sure if I managed to do it, so tell me if you think I'm pulling it off. I think every parent has a rather big temper, especially when being defensive about their kids growing up. And if the arrest seems out of hand, he HAD to do it. It may seem like a rotten trick, but he had no choice but to arrest her because she WAS involved in Alicia's destruction. I hope that sorta cleared things up a bit :) You guys are the most awesome people in the world for reading my story!**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**_[PEJPFJISNHJIFDHJFEWHJIFE_


	24. The Truthful Lies

**Wow, I love the response and feedback I'm getting from all of you, and I'm so terribly sorry it has taken me forever to update! I've been tweaking and re-tweaking the future of this story, trying to keep all the characters as close to J.K. Rowling's image as possible, but especially with Harry, it's been getting difficult. Thank you all so much for your support and patience, and especially thanks to all of you for not letting this drift to the back of my mind. The reminders kept me excited that you all love the story so much. Remember to keep any constructive criticism coming, and please review whether you like it or not! Remember to review!**

Chapter 24: The Truthful Lies

"Please state your name and occupation," said a deep, monotonous voice.

Lily quivered in her chair, feeling strangely like an animal on display as members in the Ministry sat in the seats that surrounded her. Her own chair seemed to be in the center of a miniature arena and faced the stand where the presiding judge's seat remained empty. She twisted the sleeves of her long-sleeved shirt in her hands nervously. Her only comfort was the kind hand on her shoulder.

"L-Lily Luna P-P-Potter," she stuttered. "A-And, um,st-student at Hogwarts." Her eyes glanced up, to see her father sitting two rows up away from her. Her eyes dropped away just as quickly, but the look of regret in his eyes could not be easily forgotten. The hand squeezed her shoulder gently, and she looked up to see Aunt Hermione's soft brown eyes, full of care and love despite the cruel words Lily had shouted at her aunt when Lily first found out that Hermione would be the attorney in her case.

The owner of the monotonous voice was a large, burly man who appeared to be in his fifties. He scribbled down her answer, the only sounds being the scratch of his quill on parchment and the periodical shifting of one of the many witnesses, staring down at Lily, waiting expectantly for something interesting to happen. One pair of eyes in the crowd glared at her with a malice that made chills rise on her spine. Of course Draco Malfoy would want to get a front row seat at the trial of the tramp who 'mauled' his son. An awkward silence encased the dimly lit room, and Lily couldn't refrain from noticing the shackles on her chair from the dark times when the occupants of the room were terrified of the mention of You-Know-Who. Her fingers cringed away from the cold metal.

The door at the back of the room opened with a loud clang and the Minister of Magic himself walked in, sitting himself in the judge's chair. Lily's heart did a little flip. She had been terrified enough to know that her trial would not be the case of a mere minor, but a full-fledged trial of the use of curses and an impending sentence to Azkaban. With Shacklebolt there as well, the terror settled in deeper as she attempted to keep her panic at bay.

"Mr. Shacklebolt," Harry addressed with surprise. "I was not aware that you would be presiding over this case."

The man had many wrinkles on his face that had begun to accumulate when he entered his position as Minister. He looked worn out to Lily, with blood-shot eyes and a weariness in his posture that came from overworking. "Yes, it seems that this case is one of great importance, and my assistant Jeanette suggested I look over it for a fair ruling."

"A fair ruling?" Hermione voiced with raised eyebrows.

"Where is Jeanette?" Mr. Malfoy asked curiously. "She always tends to cling to your side."

"She will be along shortly," Kingsley Shacklebolt dismissed. "Let's go ahead and get this over with, shall we? Mrs. Weasley, please present the case."

Aunt Hermione cleared her throat and stepped toward her audience, removing her hand from Lily's shoulder, leaving a cold, sinking feeling in Lily's stomach. "Members of the Ministry, we are here to find the answers to questions that have been nagging us for some time. Three weeks ago, in the early hours of December 24th, Alicia Baddock, a fifth-year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was attacked by a person, or persons, unknown to the Ministry. Miss Baddock was left with severe mental injuries that she most likely will never recover from.

"Also, that morning, Lily Potter, a fourth-year student who also attends Hogwarts and has a close affiliation with Miss Baddock, awoke with strange injuries on her back and her leg that she had no explanation for. Both were admitted to St. Mungo's where Miss Potter was visited, against her wishes by Mr. Harry Potter, the Head of the Auror Department. In the midst of a rising argument by Miss Potter and Mr. Potter, she heatedly admitted that she had knowledge of what happened to Miss Baddock and was placed in custody to be questioned at this time."

Mr. Shacklebolt nodded his head. "Miss Potter, will you please relate to us the detail of what happened the night Miss Baddock was attacked?"

"O-Of course…" Lily answered nervously. "W-Where would you like me to begin?"

Mr. Shacklebolt looked to Aunt Hermione, and she told Lily, "Perhaps you could start with your reasons of why you were staying the night at the residence of Theodore and Victoire Lupin."

"Well, I went to my godbrother's house because I had a row with my family."

"And what was this argument about?" Aunt Hermione asked, guiding Lily through what little of the story was already known.

"Um, my… relationship with Scorpius Malfoy." Lily's eyes rose from her hands carefully folded in her lap to the audience, only to cringe at the heavy glares of Mr. Malfoy and her own father.

"Would you please explain this relationship, so that everyone might understand why this would provoke such an argument in your family?"

"Um, " Lily blushed a deep pink with slight embarrassment. "Scorpius Malfoy and I had been… dating in secret for some time. When the Malfoys so graciously held a Christmas party and invited my family, our secret was brought into the open light. Obviously, our parents were much more than angry with this turn of events, and it sparked an argument between Mr. Potter and me. Enraged, I ran away and went to the closest person I have besides family, my godbrother Teddy."

"What happened when you went to Mr. Lupin?"

"I explained my story, and we all went to bed," Lily answered readily. Her hands were shaking nervously, and her heart beat quickly out of rhythm. She had explained everything that anyone knew so far. Now, the territory would become extremely dangerous, and just a few wrong words would lead her to getting expelled from Hogwarts.

"When did you wake up?" Hermione asked, thinking that she had asked the right question.

"I was awoken by the pain from the injuries I sustained, whenever Teddy and Victoire came in and took me to St. Mungo's."

She looked around nervously at the confused eyes that gawked obviously at her. "Miss Potter," Mr. Shacklebolt said in his deep voice, "You have sworn to tell the truth. You are required to tell the truth."

"I am well aware of that," Lily answered formally. "I am telling the truth. You see, Mr. Shacklebolt, I am very used to extraordinary dreams happening to me, sometimes while I am even awake. In these dreams, I am physically wherever I am in my dreams. So when I went to sleep in the Lupins' house, I woke up moments later in Alicia Baddock's bedroom, yet I was also still asleep in the Lupins' house."

"That makes no sense," Mr. Shacklebolt said, disgruntled.

"I know it doesn't, but does all magic make sense?"

No one answered her, staring with tight lips and taut jaws.

She continued, her voice breaking occasionally. "I saw Alicia lying on the bed, asleep, and to my greatest relief she was only sleeping, but I knew that if I was here, Alicia was in grave peril."

"How did you know that?" Hermione asked, having regained her ability to speak.

"That's usually why I witness these… visions."

"So every time someone is hurt or killed, the famous Lily Potter sees it happen before it does?" A man in the audience sneered. His gray hair was thin and wispy, and his angular features only enhanced Lily's idea that he resembled a vulture.

"Someone is making examples out of these visions. She wants me to see what will happen to anyone who isn't her supporter."

"What woman are you speaking of?" Mr. Shaklebolt inquired.

Right on cue the door near the top of the stairs opened with a loud creak, as the latest Ministry worker arrived. People turned in their seats to see who would so rudely interrupt such an important trial, only to see a young woman step in, looking slightly self-conscious although she obviously radiated self-esteem. She gracefully glided over to the vacant chair beside the minister and said in a bittersweet, extraordinarily familiar voice, "I'm so sorry I'm late; I got held up with the French minister."

No one else seemed to detect anything wrong. Mr. Shacklebolt graciously smiled and said, "Not a problem, Jeanette." Lily glared with bright eyes, and her hands gripped the chair, as though restraining herself from pouncing on the new focus of attention in the room. Mortellea's eyes slid casually over to see Lily, and her lips stretched in satisfaction at the reaction she had solicited.

"Mortellea," Lily growled, wishing her eyes would burn a hole through the woman's head, and her blood rushed through her veins, begging for action, such as throttling the virulent adversary.

Mortellea pulled a mask of innocence, and said, "What does Mortellea have to do with this case? Is she really trying to blame a nonexistent terror for what happened?"

Harry, who seemed to completely accept 'Jeanette' as well, muttered, "Apparently so."

"Mortellea is most certainly not nonexistent!" Lily declared with disbelief.

"Miss Potter," the minister addressed, "this 'Mortellea' is a farce used by former Death Eaters to justify their actions. They believe that they can blame someone who does not exist for their wreaking havoc on innocent wizarding families, and even muggles." At the mention of Death Eaters, Harry's eyes flashed accusingly to Mr. Malfoy, who glared back impassively.

"I've seen her with my own eyes!" she exclaimed heatedly.

With a calm demeanor, he continued, "Death Eaters try to claim that she is the cause of this, and younger people than you have been enticed by the lies of Death Eaters…" he trailed off.

"Are you insinuating that I'm a freaking _Death Eater_?" Lily stood up, her cheeks turning bright red with anger. "Do you know who I _am_?"

Aunt Hermione put a hand on Lily's arm and murmured, "Why don't you just relax, and tell your story?"

The girl took a deep breath and sat back down. "As I was saying, Mortellea likes to give me 'examples,' show me just exactly how much power she has. She took me to Alicia's bedroom, and asked me if I was afraid of her."

"What did you say?" Hermione asked.

"Only a fool would say no," Lily answered distantly, her eyes trained on Jeanette with her sadistic smile, as though she knew something Lily didn't, which she probably did.

"I knew I still had the chance to protect Alicia; she was still alive. I searched my pockets for my wand but realized that I had left it on the nightstand at Teddy's house while Mortellea had a wand _and_ a knife. I didn't know what to do, so I attacked her."

"You attacked Alicia?" Jeanette asked.

"No, I attacked Mortellea," Lily insisted. "I just thought I could distract her from Alicia, buy some time. Her wand fell to the floor, and… and I tried to choke her."

Whispers echoed around the room. "You attempted to kill someone?" Jeanette asked with a triumphant grin on her familiar face, thinking she might have trapped Lily.

"Yes," Lily admitted. "I tried to kill someone who was going to hurt my friend, my friend who was completely innocent in this matter. Isn't that… almost self-defense?"

"Continue," was all Shacklebolt said.

"I'd forgotten about the knife, and Mortellea used it to cut my thigh, not very deeply, but it gave her the chance to regain control. The wound was enough to make my leg give out, and she took the time to begin spreading her spells. It was like a spider web had weaved itself around her head, and she started screaming." Lily's voice cracked as the haunting sounds resurfaced in her memory. "I knew I had to do something quickly, so I grabbed the sharpest thing I could find in the room. A letter opener. I-I just wanted to save Alicia, that's all. I saw an opening and I stabbed Mortellea in the side with the letter opener.

She was bleeding, a lot, but I was more focused on Alicia. She w-was screaming," Lily spoke almost in whispers, but it still echoed in the deathly quiet courtroom. Her voice began to tremble more, and tears formed in her eyes and quickly began spilling over. "I tried to help her. Sh-she was tr-trying to get rid of the spell, the web, b-but she only succeeded in scratching her face. Sh-she kept screaming…" Lily trailed off, tears silently dripping down her face and into her lap.

"What happened next, Lily?" Aunt Hermione asked with such a gentle tone, that Lily had never heard it before.

"M-Mortellea wasn't to be deterred for long, and she sliced across my back with her knife. She was done with Alicia, and she pulled me up to her level. She used her knife to slice open one of my scars." Lily shuddered. "The pain was so overbearing that I awoke from my vision and screamed."

"Would you please show the court your scar?" Shacklebolt asked.

Lily swallowed and pushed up her long sleeves. Her right arm had been bandaged where Mortellea had hurt her, but the rest of her arm was covered in the white, slightly raised runes. She undid the bandages and stood up, holding her shaking arm up for the whole courtroom to see. "This is what she did to me," she managed to say in her best grown-up voice, glaring at Jeanette. "She tortured Alicia to insanity. How can you see the evidence, but not see that she is real?"

A drawn out silence engulfed the room. Finally, Jeanette said, "I must commend you on your well-thought-out lies, Miss Potter."

"They aren't lies!" Lily exclaimed passionately, snapping more at the imposter than she would have at anyone else. "Doesn't anyone here believe me?"

Her eyes cast around the silent room, wishing someone would vouch for her. Mr. Shacklebolt looked over at Harry, and Lily couldn't help but follow. "Mr. Potter," the minister addressed, "This is your own daughter, and you are also the Head of the Auror Department. Do you have any belief that Miss Potter's claims are valid?"

His face was an unreadable mask as he stared at her. "No, sir. I do not believe that what she is saying is true."

Lily grit her teeth and held betraying tears at bay. So that was how things would be.

"Your own father doesn't believe you, Lily," Jeanette sneered. "Why would anyone believe you now?"

Lily glared malevolently. "Doesn't at least one person believe me?" An elderly woman in the back coughed, interrupting the silence. "If none of you believe me, then what do you expect happened?"

No one else answered immediately, so Jeanette spoke with her voice like bitter honey. "Perhaps this is your cover story. Where did you learn these curses, Lily? Who's been helping you dabble in the Dark Arts? Would it have been the Slytherin students you tend to hang out with at school?"

"No!" Lily protested. "They're good kids!"

"Good kids with bad parents?" the woman asked with raised eyebrows.

"You're claiming that I'm a horribly screwed up kid with good parents." Lily crossed her arms across her chest.

"Enough," Shacklebolt commanded, "I won't accept this childish squabbling in my courtroom. As it is, Miss Potter, there is no proof that Mortellea even exists."

"The proof is staring you in the face!" Lily exclaimed, losing her temper.

"Another outburst like that, and I'll have you expelled from Hogwarts," he said severely.

Lily sat down and slumped in the uncomfortable chair.

"As well-concocted as your story seems, there is no validity to it. All in favor of Miss Lily Potter being expelled from Hogwarts and sent to—"

"Mr. Shacklebolt," Aunt Hermione interrupted suddenly. The Minister was obviously agitated at the lack of formality in the courtroom but allowed Hermione to speak. "If I may point out, there is nothing linking Li—Miss Potter to the crime other than her testimony, which has been determined to be riddled with false information." Lily leaned forward to protest, but Hermione silenced her with a glare.

"What are you suggesting, Mrs. Weasley?"

"I'm suggesting that Miss Potter concocted the entire thing, just to solicit a reaction from her father to gain attention. She has a plausible motive for lying to her father, seeing as they were arguing vehemently. It also seems that perhaps this is just one of her teenage rebellious streaks in a poor attempt to make people pay her attention." Lily's mouth dropped open with offense. "There is no reason to believe that she was even involved in this case. And even if she did have something to do with the case, there is no solid evidence that actually linked her to the crime."

Shacklebolt rubbed his chin absentmindedly as he considered the idea. "I understand what you are saying, and it does seem to be an excellent explanation. Alright, all in favor of expelling Miss Potter and sentencing her to at least two years in Azkaban, say 'I.'"

Not to Lily's surprise, Jeanette voted for her expulsion, along with possibly five others, but the majority voted to allow her to remain at Hogwarts, without severe punishment. As tears of relief flooded her eyes, she recognized that neither Harry nor Mr. Malfoy had voted on her future. Aunt Hermione hugged her tightly. "Oh, thank Merlin, Lily."

"Thanks, Aunt Hermione," Lily said between weak sniffles.

"I'm just glad you're okay."

Lily hesitated a moment. "Aunt Hermione? D-do you believe me?"

Her aunt's motherly brown eyes searched for something within Lily's bright green. After a moment, she solemnly answered, "Yes, Lily, yes, I do."

Lily sighed and wiped away her tears with a light smile. "When can I go back to Hogwarts?"

"Probably this afternoon. Your Uncle Ron and I will take you."

"Okay," Lily answered. By now most of the people had filed out of the room, including Harry and the minister, but Jeanette lingered behind, doing paperwork. Her black eyes glanced up from the papers and looked directly at Lily, as though sending her a message instantly. "Um, Aunt Hermione, you go ahead outside and wait for me, okay? I'll be out in a moment." _Hopefully._

Hermione gave her a strange look but didn't argue. All of the other people had drifted out of the room, leaving it eerily silent, with the only sound being the rustling of papers in Jeanette's hand. "Let's stop playing games, Mortellea," Lily said severely. Her eyes narrowed cautiously, and her hand subconsciously moved to her wand.

"But they're so fun to play," Mortellea said with a fake pout as she stood up. Lily hated the feeling of having to crane her neck up to see Mortellea, but she was still in the lower area where the criminal chair sat while her enemy towered over her in the raised rows of seats.

"I am surprised," Lily tried to comment nonchalantly while Mortellea weaved her way to the steps and walked down into the accused area.

"Surprised at what?" Mortellea asked with curiosity. It was beginning to amaze Lily of how well they were able to read each other, but she supposed that they knew each other as well as best mates after being absolute enemies for over a year.

"You always swore that whenever you first saw me in person that you would strangle the life out of me. And yet here we are, both still alive."

"That is true," Mortellea mused. She moved subtly, slowly circling Lily with her feline-like movements, while Lily took minute steps to back away from her. "But, as you have matured over the past year, I have grown wiser; you are not simply a weed to be uprooted. You are much more complex than that, and I am bidding my time until my plans are prepared to be put into action. If I am not cautious, my tedious plans that I so painstakingly worked on will completely fail if each action is not executed at precisely the right time. _That_ is where Voldemort went wrong."

"What?" Lily blurted, surprised by the mention of the Dark Lord.

Mortellea nodded. "I would not wish for history to repeat itself. Voldemort was a fool because his focus was so intently centered on Harry Potter that he had flaws and mistakes in his plans. I will be sure not to make the same mistake."

"You learn from your past successors," Lily commented, unsure of what that meant.

"So it seems," Mortellea agreed.

Silence filled the room, and Lily was unsure of how to fill it. None of the usual malice radiated from her enemy, although the wary presence of a tentative truce lingered in the air. "Here's what's going to happen now, Lily," Mortellea said, as calmly as though she was commenting on the weather. "You are going to walk out of that door behind you and will go greet your aunt. I will go back to being Jeanette for the minister for now. You and your aunt and uncle will take you out for lunch and then will return you to Hogwarts. You will say nothing to anyone about this, and your aunt and uncle will return you to Hogwarts, and things between us will go back to the way things have always been. Understood?"

"Clearly," Lily answered firmly.

That's exactly what happened.

Lily closed the door to the courtroom behind her and turned to see her worried aunt waiting for her. "Are you alright, Lily?" Hermione asked, wrapping a motherly arm around Lily's shoulders.

"Perfectly peachy," Lily answered, though her face was very pale with her scattered freckles standing out.

"Maybe you'll feel better after lunch," Hermione said as they began walking towards the elevator. "And then Uncle Ron and I will take you back to Hogwarts."

Lily grinned lightly at the thought of returning after so long. "Brilliant," she said quietly, her mind lingering on thoughts of Scorpius.

**Please review! Please tell me your theories and ideas on what you think will happen, and sometimes, they DO affect the story, so be sure to tell me! Thank you for reading!**


	25. Shattered

**I hope everyone has an excellent 2012! Thank you all so much for your support and love for the story over the past year! Every review has been appreciated and I value everyone's opinion! Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes.**

Chapter 25: Shattered

Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron brought Lily back to Hogwarts that afternoon after they ate at the Leaky cauldron. Lily was quiet through most of the meal, dwelling quietly on her conversation with Mortellea. Ron and Hermione spoke mostly between themselves about work, which rather bored Lily at first.

"… and Harry and I still haven't found any more leads with the Gringe case."

Lily blinked and looked up from her half-eaten food. "The Gringe case?"

Hermione glared at Ron, as though he had said something he shouldn't have. "It's nothing, Lily," Ron assured her quickly.

"Is it another murder?" Lily persisted.

Hermione sighed. "Yes, Lily, but don't tell anyone." She looked around and lowered her voice. "The ministry doesn't want the murder of a prestigious Death Eater getting around."

"A Death Eater?" Lily exclaimed as her aunt and uncle quickly shushed her. She lowered her voice and almost whispered, "They murdered a Death Eater? That goes completely against what the ministry has been saying about this all being done by rogue Death Eaters!"

"Exactly," Ron agreed quietly. "No one will like to hear that the ministry was wrong about that. And they'll want to know who it was, which we have no answer for."

"You're going to release this to the public soon, though, right?" Lily pressed, resisting the urge to vehemently exclaim that here was the proof the Mortellea was behind the attacks. "They have a right to know, and not place blame on the innocent."

"Harry's going to a press meeting this afternoon," Ron answered.

Lily pressed her lips together, not sure what she would say if she allowed them to open. "I see," she said at last before she lapsed once again into silence, picking at her food.

It wasn't long before lunch was wrapped up and Aunt Hermione was clutching Lily's hand, preparing to Apparate to Hogsmeade. Lily felt the sudden pull and stumbled forward in the middle of the almost-deserted street in Hogsmeade. "Come along, Lily," Ron said, starting up the path to Hogwarts. Hermione and Lily followed closely behind.

They reported straight to Headmistress Wilkinson when they arrived. Wilkinson's obvious surprise at Lily's appearance was not very well hidden at all. Lily was almost offended. "What, do you think I'm some sort of psychopath? I don't have a permanent room at St. Mungo's _yet_, ma'am."

Wilkinson tried to compose her features into the strict mask that a headmistress should have. "Miss Potter, you are far behind your studies. You have missed the first two weeks of term."

"Yes, I know," Lily grimaced.

"It will take much time and work to catch up."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Seeing as this is the case, your detentions will be postponed until you have caught up on your work."

Lily beamed, taking a deep breath before she would launch into a thousand and one thank-you's.

"But," Wilkinson continued, and Lily exhaled, knowing that whatever she had to say would not be good. "I expect you to be in the library every evening from six o' clock to ten, catching up on your missed work. Madame Pince will be making sure that you report every evening and that you are using your time wisely."

"Yes, ma'am," Lily answered dejectedly. Hopefully it wouldn't be as terrible as detention.

"Classes will be over soon, and then you may go to your teachers to receive your assignments." Wilkinson turned her attention to Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione. "Thank you for your help. I hope things are going well."

"Not as well as they could be," Ron mumbled quietly so that Wilkinson could not hear, and Lily swore that Hermione stepped on his foot to make him shut up as she put on an innocent smile.

"Oh, yes," Hermione said. "Things are going brilliantly. But, um, Ron and I really should be getting back to the ministry."

"Yes, of course," Wilkinson agreed. "Have a good day," she said with a cheery smile.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs that led from the Headmistress's office, Hermione gave Lily a hug that nearly suffocated Lily and so did Ron. "Goodbye, sweetie," Aunt Hermione said, brushing some of Lily's loose hair out of her eyes. "Are you going to be okay?" she asked softly.

Even though Hermione wasn't her mother, Lily felt that her aunt treated her almost like a daughter. She nodded after a moment, and tried to put on a James-ish smile that was cocky enough to alleviate worry. "Of course I will."

Ron kissed her forehead and said, "We love ya, kid. And… so does your mum and dad."

Lily frowned slightly but before she could say anything, Ron said, "Would you at least consider writing to your mum? She's terribly upset about what happened and she hated not being able to see you. Please don't do something like this to Ginny. She loves you to death, and she just wants to keep you safe."

Lily blinked quickly before she could tear up. She loved her mum and knew that she really had no reason to be angry with her mother. Things didn't have to be this way between her and Ginny. "I—I'll write to her," Lily promised quietly, but she didn't know if she would keep this promise.

"Tell Rose and Hugo we love them," Hermione said before they parted ways.

Lily felt a little uncertain without her aunt and uncle with her. But Hogwarts was her home, and already she started feeling her heart lighten at the familiar suits of armor and the paintings that chatted amicably among themselves. She meandered through the corridors, making her way as slowly as she possibly could to Defense Against the Dark Arts to pick up her work. Classes were dismissed as she maneuvered through the corridors, and students quickly clogged the hallway. She tried to make her way through the mass of people, mumbling apologies when she bumped into someone. She ran into a burly Slytherin that she thought she vaguely remembered. "I'm sorry," she said politely.

She was about to move around him as usual when he said, "I don't want your apologies, you whore."

Lily froze, shocked. "Excuse me?"

"I called you a whore. Do you have a problem with that?" he asked with a sneer, as though taunting her to retaliate.

"Um, yeah." She nodded, more than a little angry at this boy whose name she didn't even know. "I _do_ have a problem with that."

"That's what you are, a two-faced whore. Alicia Baddock never did anything to you. And then you paraded yourself around Scorpius like you owned the world."

"I never did anything to them!" Lily exclaimed.

He ignored her and leaned over to her level. He was suddenly holding his wand and pointing it at her. "Come near the Slytherins again, and I swear you'll end up like Alicia, or _worse_."

Lily opened her mouth to say something but he strode away before she could retort. She continued down the corridor, almost in a daze. She should have realized that everything about her had been screamed in the headlines of the _Daily Prophet_. Rita Skeeter wasn't the only one who'd like the goods on almost celebrity families like the Potters and the Malfoys.

Although she knew she should retrieve her makeup work, she found herself returning to Gryffindor Tower, needing family and friends to help her sort through things. She hesitated once she reached the Fat Lady. She wasn't exactly on speaking terms with her family at the moment, though. "What's the password, Dearie?" the Fat Lady asked.

Lily rummaged through her head but realized that she hadn't been informed of the new password. "Gillyweed?" she asked, using the old one.

"I'm afraid not," the portrait said grimly.

"I've only just returned. Can't you let me in just this once?" Lily begged. "Please?"

"Sorry, Hon, but you know the rules."

"But it's _me_," Lily said. "You _know_ that I'm a Gryffindor!"

"No, I don't," the Fat Lady answered. "What if you're some killer using polyjuice potion? Then what would happen? No, I can't let you in."

Lily sighed in exasperation. "Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Wait till someone who knows the password shows up."

Lily glared at the Fat Lady as she sat down on the stone floor, leaning her back against the stone banister. She hadn't even gotten the chance to change from her business clothes that she wore to the trial, and she pulled her knees up to her chest. After half an hour, Lily muttered, "I hate you."

The Fat Lady rolled her eyes and continued talking to her friend Vivian who had shown up not long after Lily was denied entry.

It was an hour until dinner when Rose miraculously appeared, carrying a load of books. "Thank Merlin you're here!" Lily exclaimed.

"What are you doing out here?" Rose asked quizzically.

"I don't know the password," Lily answered miserably, her back aching from the uncomfortable seating arrangement.

"Oh, it's Luminatas." The Fat Lady swung open at last, after Lily threw her one last dirty look. As they entered the common room, Rose asked, "So… you're talking to us again?"

"Oh," Lily responded haltingly. "Well, I really don't have anything against my extended family…"

"And yet, when you were bleeding to death, you still had the vehemence to scream that we weren't allowed in your room."

Lily refused to look up at her cousin, instead studying the plush red rug beneath her shoes. "I was confused then. Please, forgive me."

Rose's silence intimidated her, and Lily finally glanced up warily through her light curtain of eyelashes. A tiny smile tugged at the corner of Rose's lips and she said, "Of course I forgive you, Lily. That's what family's for."

"I-is everyone upset about Scorpius and me?" Lily asked quietly.

Rose bit her lip before she slowly answered, "It depends. Granddad is livid, but Uncle George and Uncle Charlie have nothing against it. Dad… basically reacted the same as Uncle Harry, and Mum was too busy comforting Aunt Ginny to give her opinion…. The truth is, Lily, the adults would give anything to have you back. Do you realize how terrible Christmas was? Grandmum was in tears, Granddad, Uncle Percy, Uncle Charlie, Aunt Penny, and Uncle Harry and Dad were arguing all day, and half of the family wouldn't speak to the other half! The family's in tatters without you."

Lily listened solemnly, the revelation only souring her strained optimism more. "You said the adults… What about the kids?"

"That's a mess, Lily," Rose muttered with a sigh. "James is furious about Scorpius, but Al told me that he's been crying in his room every night since you left. Albus gets into arguments every time he opens his mouth. He's been torn to shreds over what happened to Alicia on top of everything with you. Most of the kids hate you for almost betraying us, but me, Molly, Lucy and Freddy want you back. Everyone refuses to talk to everyone else. I can't keep straight in my head who I'm talking to and who won't talk to me, and you _know_ I'm the brightest student in my class. But—"

Lily didn't get to hear whatever Rose was going to say, for everyone seemed to have realized who had returned to the Gryffindor common room. Whispers flared through the room with the intensity of a wildfire. _Lily Potter. Lily Potter has returned to Hogwarts._ As the laughter began to dwindle and the whispers grow louder, she lifted her eyes and saw many witches and wizards staring at her with unabashed fear. A few groups of younger students scampered upstairs, as though terrified of being in her very presence.

Two tall boys stood up, two that she recognized immediately. "What do you think you're doing here?" James asked, leering angrily at her. Both he and Albus had their arms crossed over their chests.

"I wasn't aware that I wasn't allowed to be here," Lily replied coolly.

"So they decided to spare your life, did they?" Albus asked. His tone was threatening but calm and calculated. "And they didn't even lock you up in an asylum."

"Maybe because I'm perfectly—"

"Psychopathic," Dominique said, lounging in one of the chairs near James and Albus.

"You betrayed us," said Louis, who stood near Dominique's chair.

"I never betrayed anyone," Lily asserted.

"Then why were you flaunting yourself around that prick Malfoy?" Albus yelled.

"I never 'flaunted' myself, and Scorpius is _not_ a prick!" Lily yelled in return.

"How could you go and do something like this, Lily?" James interfered. Although his voice was full of anger, Lily saw the confusion and betrayal in his eyes, and she realized that he truly didn't know how she could have done something so scandalous.

"There's nothing wrong with it!"

"Everything's wrong with it!" Hugo retorted, much to her surprise. Lily and Hugo had always been close friends before Hogwarts, but then they seemed to find their own friends and speak less often with each other. Especially since he started dating Sara-Lynn, they had drifted away from each other. "He's a Malfoy!"

"What does a name have to do with anything? You can't judge him just because our parents hated his!" She cried, wishing that they would see things her way.

"He's a bad sort!" Albus argued. "I'm not going to let my baby sister get herself screwed over by a Malfoy!"

"He's a good person!" Lily was tired after her long day, and her bum was still aching from sitting in front of the Fat Lady for nearly two hours. She took a deep breath. "It doesn't matter what _any_ of you think about him, because it's _my_ life to screw up! If you don't like it, then you can go die in a hole!" she yelled lamely.

"Whatever, Freak," James muttered. His comment effectively ended the argument that disrupted all of Gryffindor Tower, and Lily half-ran up the stairs to her dormitory.

To her utmost relief, the snobby gossips she shared her room with were not around. She stood in the middle of the circular room, at loss with her emotions. Half of her felt like screaming curses to the sky while the other half just wanted to flop onto her bed and sob until her pillow was soaked with tears.

She heard the door softly open with the slight clicking of the handle. Lily turned to see Rose standing apprehensively behind the partially open door. Her cerulean eyes and bright red hair peeked out from behind the door. "Lily, are you alright?"

Lily sniffled and took a step towards the door. "Yeah, I'm fine. I guess I'm just having issues with my temper lately."

"_That_ is an understatement," Rose said as she entered and closed the door behind her.

"Tell me about it," Lily muttered. She sighed, the warm breath shifting loose strand of hair away from her face as she sat down on her bed. "C-can I have some advice?" she asked tentatively.

"I suppose," Rose answered, settling down beside her younger cousin. "What do you want advice on?"

"What am I supposed to do?" Lily asked softly. "I love Scorpius. I know I do, but I don't think anyone can handle our family fighting for very long. Things are already completely out of hand and it's entirely my fault." Her elbows rested on her legs and her face fell into her open hands as she hunched over. "I don't know what to do anymore."

Rose didn't answer, trying to collect her thoughts and phrase them in a way that wouldn't cause any more harm. "I… I'm probably not the best one to tell you what you need to do, Lily. Do you really love Scorpius?"

"With all my heart," Lily assured.

"Do you love your family, Lily?" Rosie asked in a subdued voice.

Lily looked up from her hands. "How could you ever think that? Of course I do!"

Rose didn't say anything, just gave a sad little smile.

"I do," Lily said, more to herself than Rose, but not because she needed reassurance of that truth. She was lost and confused, with no idea of what to do. Her eyes met Rose's. "Why do I have to choose between my family and Scorpius?"

"Maybe you don't. I'm not sure if it would be possible," Rose admitted, "but I think you can find a way, Lily. You have before." The older cousin stood up and brushed off her skirt. "This is your decision to make, and no one can make it for you."

With that said, Rose exited, leaving Lily to contemplate how she would deal with this mess that had become her life.

XxXoOoXxX

The Great Hall was filled with the familiar chatter that Lily hadn't even realized that she had missed until she heard it again. There were no friends that accompanied her to dinner, nor any family, seeing as Rose had disappeared after their conversation. Her emerald eyes slid across the room as she entered. As she glanced past the Ravenclaw table, she noticed Kayla and Lizzy engrossed in a discussion with another Ravenclaw girl that seemed to have grown close to them over the past year.

Laughter and possibly the loudest chatter came from the Gryffindor table, and just seeing everyone have a good time made her smile. She hesitated; everywhere she looked at the table, it seemed to be that there was nowhere that she would be welcome. Knowing she probably looked like an idiot just gawking at the doorway, she walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat near the end, apart from most of the other Gryffindors. The plate in front of her magically filled with food, but she picked at it with her fork, only eating a few bites.

Every few minutes, she glanced up and across to the Slytherin table more often that she would have liked. Scorpius sat with his back turned toward her, amicably carrying on with Rose's boyfriend, Julian. Rose herself had chosen to spend the evening sitting with Hugo, and Lily could tell by the way Julian kept looking for Rose that he wanted to be with her.

Lily, although the courageous Gryffindor she should have been, put off confronting Scorpius as long as she could, trying for what seemed like the millionth time to puzzle out his actions, or lack thereof. She didn't understand why he never came to St. Mungo's, or even written her a letter. His silence confused her, although she assumed that Mr. Malfoy had something to do with it. But what would Scorpius have to say when she finally confronted him? Had his father forbidden him to ever see her again? Had he simply gotten in trouble, perhaps grounded or something? Whatever the answer was, she knew that she had to tell him that she loved him. She had decided on that much. Would he feel the same? _Of course_, Lily thought, berating herself for even thinking that he wouldn't.

With her shred of Gryffindor courage, she stood up and crossed the Great Hall, unnoticed by most. She tried to keep her head held high as she lightly tapped Scorpius on the shoulder. He turned in his seat and looked up at her with his soft grey eyes that flooded her with happy memories. A light smile pulled across her lips and she breathed, "Hi."

She noticed the minute way his muscles stiffened as he realized that it was her. "What do you want?"

His harsh tone made her blink with surprise. "Um, can we talk?" She didn't catch the expression in his eyes because the attitude threw her off, and despite her Gryffindor-ness, she was too scared to look him in the eye.

"About what?" A considerable amount of Slytherins began to turn towards them, with orbs for eyes that lusted for tidbits of gossip. Julian's face seemed expressionless, an obvious marker that he was hiding something.

"A-about what happened at the party." Absentmindedly, she wrung her fingers with nervousness that she never felt around Scorpius before.

"And?" He wasn't even looking at her; instead, he stared down at his Charms textbook, giving her only half of his attention.

"Scorpius, can we t-talk in private?"

"What's wrong with staying here? Surely anything you have to say to me can be said in front of everyone else."

She took a deep breath, uncertain of how to handle the situation. Despite her obvious confusion, she raised her chin to reserve some sort of dignity and tried to say in her strongest voice, "Is there a problem here, Scorpius?"

Abruptly, his attention was completely focused on her. "Yes, there is," He answered shortly, standing up in one fluid motion. Lily took a small retreating step as he towered over her. He crossed his arms over his chest, and she had never felt so intimidated. Growth spurts had been kind to him since the beginning of her third and his fourth year. But she knew that. She knew that a little _too_ well.

She mirrored his movement and crossed her arms as well. "And what exactly," she asked coolly, "would that problem be?"

"You." His simple answer made her heart crash into her stomach.

"And… why is that?" She wet her lips, trying her best not to let it show just how much that word hurt her.

"I thought it was fun while it lasted, Lily." She flinched at the way he so scathingly said her name. "It was an entertaining little game to play."

"I… I was a game to you?" She couldn't hide the catch in her voice or the tears that stung her eyes. "No, I don't believe that."

"You know it's true. All the signs were there. I didn't mean for things to go as far as they did." His voice sounded regretful, but her eyes were trained on his chest, watching him inhale deeply during every pause. Despite every order that her head screamed, her eyes refused to look up to his grey orbs. "For that I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I let things go and I let you believe that I cared that deeply for you. But honestly, you thought that a Malfoy would stoop down to the level of a Potter?"

"Stoop?" Her heart beat rapidly in her chest. "Was I your next charity case, Malfoy?" Her voice rose. To herself, she knew that the anger was just a way to cover the pain. She wondered if Scorpius noticed, too, or had he really been lying to her all that time? She had never considered herself gullible, but she knew how easily his silky voice devised lies and made it seem like the most realistic truth. The only question was, was he lying now, or had he been lying before?

"Did you honestly believe that we would ever be compatible? I knew that I could lie to you and make it believable, but I never thought you were that stupid!"

"You weren't lying, Scorpius!" she pleaded desperately. Her voice, she knew, was too loud and easily overheard. In her mind, she envisioned what everyone would be whispering behind her back tomorrow. "Please, I know you weren't!"

"You're not good for me," he continued in a business-like manner. "My future almost crashed and burned because of that fling with you, and I can't let my reputation be ruined."

"That _fling_? That's what you call the past three months?" Her breathing became strained as though she were slowly suffocating.

"Haven't you figured out that it wasn't real?" he asked softly.

"Then you never cared at all about me?" she asked, trying to wrap her mind around this weird conversation.

"I did. A little too much, if you ask me." His voice mirrored the way his father always spoke. "But then… everything that happened at the party, and I realized that you were bad for me, like a poison that was slowly killing me. If I had continued down the same road with you, my reputation would have been destroyed. Everyone would look down on me as though I had betrayed them. I would never be prestigious with you at my side. Our worlds weren't meant to coincide, but I let you think that they could because then you didn't realize that I didn't mean what I said."

"You're lying," Lily said softly, her last attempt at resistance.

He almost laughed. "What did you think, Lily? Did you think that I _loved_ you?" He laughed.

_Yes_, she thought to herself as tears welled up and the first one spilled, _I did_.

She didn't respond aloud, however. Scorpius rolled his eyes. "In love with a Potter! That is simply the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" He picked up his book bag and slung it over his shoulder. He looked to her eyes with the beautiful grey that she had so stupidly fallen for. "I fancied you, Lily, but I could never love you. I can't pretend anymore."

Another tear fell, smearing her mascara. She waited for him to tell her that he was only pretending, that he did love her. She waited for him to wrap his arms around her and comfort her and kiss her until the tears dried. But he didn't. He waited for Julian to gather his things and began to walk away as casually as if he had just told her of a homework assignment.

"Scorpius," she called in a pitiful voice that broke. He stopped and turned to her. Would it have been easier if his eyes were filled with hate? It was only distant sympathy she saw in the swirling grey. "Please." She gasped for her next breath. He didn't love her, and his former feelings weren't enough for him to stay.

He walked away.

Tears flowed down her cheeks, and she hastily wiped them away, at a loss of what to do. She couldn't handle the stares of everyone in the vicinity. The first sob broke through as she felt her heart completely shatter, finally. She had lost her home and her family, all for a boy that didn't return her love. How stupid was she? Her father had been right which only felt like pouring vinegar on her wound. She rushed out of the Great Hall, unable to stop crying now that she had started. She ran away, only wanting to escape the desperation that filled her soul. When she reached the ajar doors of the castle, she slipped right through the large crack, not even caring about the cold and the snow. Her heart fluttered wildly in her chest as though she had been physically wounded and it had to work even harder to get the blood rushing through her body.

OoOxXxOoO

Harry felt like a drum was beating inside his head, pounding on the inside of his skull. This press conference had drained on him for the past hour, and it still showed no sign of ending soon.

"Mr. Potter, since you have found Gringe, who do you suspect has been behind these murders?" a blonde woman in the crowd asked, speaking above the others as the sound of furiously scratching quills echoed in the short silence.

"Because of our last mistake, the ministry will make no comment on suspects." His voice was worn and tired, and he pushed his circular glasses up his nose.

The other writers flooded him with questions that he had the appropriate ministry response to. He should have expected the question that came next, but until it was asked, he had never even considered it before. A man stood up and asked, "Mr. Potter, due to your recent conflict with your daughter, Miss Lily Potter, has your performance as Head of the Aurors been corrupted?"

He didn't answer right away, and somewhere, a camera flashed, taking a picture of his surely stunned face. Finally he answered, "That pertains in no way to the matter at hand, and I will refrain from commenting at this time."

Perhaps it was the anger that flashed in his eyes when a press reported asked about Lily, but no one else dared to ask another question similar to that man's. As the usual questions began again, Harry found his mind wandering away as his voice mechanically answered the questions.

He missed Lily terribly, and the look of sadness that constantly clouded Ginny's face made his heart crumble to pieces every time he saw it. He found himself having extra reasons to walk past Lily's room, and he kept finding himself pausing in the doorway, waiting for his teenage daughter to yell at him to get out and slam the door in his face. The house seemed haunted by her memory as he often caught himself thinking that Lily was around the corner or down the hall.

Guilt had made him miserable over the past weeks, and he blamed himself entirely for everything that happened. Because Lily had fallen for that Malfoy boy, it was somehow his fault because he hadn't spent enough time with her, or he did something wrong. The argument, he knew, was his fault, and he had yet to forgive himself for losing his temper so severely, certain that his anger had driven his little girl away forever.

Many nights he had spent lying awake long after Ginny's breaths had evened and slowed to a regular rhythm. More often than not, he shed a few tears, wishing that his little Lily would come home.

"Mr. Potter!" a demanding woman interrupted his thoughts. "Mr. Potter, what is your answer?"

He stared at the people in silence for a moment. He stood up, deciding immediately. "I'm sorry to everyone, but I think I've answered enough questions for now. If you'll excuse me, I need to be going."

Harry heard everyone calling after him, wanting him to come back, but he had made up his mind and he wasn't going to wait around. He strode quickly out of the building into the busy street right outside of the Ministry. He ducked into an empty alleyway and Apparated to Hogsmeade.

A few people seemed startled as they made their way home after the long day. The winter sun was beginning to set, casting an orange tint over the little village. He strode through quickly, ignoring the stares that he was used to after thirty years of it. He trekked up the path to the towering castle that he always seemed to be visiting these days. His legs almost felt like they were burning from the exercise as he finally reached the courtyard while a tiny part in the back of his mind reproved him for being so out of shape.

His breath made a pale ghost in the air that dissipated after he inhaled. Something darted through the doors that had been left slightly open and he froze. So did Lily.

She stared across the courtyard at him as though he were a ghost resurrected from the dead. Harry hardly breathed as he waited expectantly for her reaction. Even from this distance, he could tell that her precious green eyes were red-rimmed and tears stained her cheeks. "Lily," he said, and, in a very un-grown-up way, his voice broke as he really got to see her for the first time in what felt like eons.

"Dad," she cried, almost wailing, and she rushed into his arms. After recovering from a brief moment of shock, Harry held the girl tightly to him, wishing that he never had to let her go. Her body trembled as her arms created a death grip around his waist, and she sobbed unashamed.

He let her cry, holding her tight and stroking her fiery hair to console her. Lily was so miserable herself that Harry was glad she didn't notice the two tears that fell down his face beneath his glasses. "I'm so-rry, Dad, I'm s-so sorry," she cried in a watery voice with gasps like hiccups in between her words. "You w-were right," she sobbed. "Y-you were right about e-e-everything."

"Shhh, baby," he told her softly. "I've never been so sorry to be right in my life. I'm so sorry, Lily."

"I-It's a-ll my fault," she answered, tears squeezing out from beneath her shut eyelids.

"No, honey, none of this was your fault." Tears overran Lily's ability to peak and he softly kissed her hair while she sobbed. "I love you, Lily. I'll always love you more than you'll ever know."

His soft voice comforted her, yet did nothing to heal her shattered heart. "I love you t-too, Dad."

**Did you like it? Did you cry? How many of you want to murder me right now? Let me know just how much you hate me right now in a review please!**


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